Police are investigating allegations that a 22-year-old part-time worker at an after-school program on the Upper West Side raped a 14-year-old student he met there at his home two weeks ago, authorities say.
The NYPD confirmed its Special Victims Unit is investigating allegations made by the 14-year-old P.S. 191 student that the part-time instructor invited her to his home April 11, kissed her, laid in bed with her and raped her.
The instructor has not been charged with any wrongdoing; he is being described as a person of interest in the investigation.
According to the Department of Education, the man does not work for the agency or for the city in any capacity. He worked for Roads to Success, which operates after-school programs in four New York City boroughs and is funded by the Department of Youth & Community Development.
The 14-year-old's father says the instructor was someone his family trusted, having run into him several times at P.S. 190. He said he was disgusted by the allegations and is demanding the man be arrested.
"My daughter is only 14 and he's 22," the father said. "Apparently the man had sex with her right in his room."
NBC 4 New York is not identifying the girl's father in order to protect the accuser's identity. The father said the man allegedly lured his daughter to his home under the pretense of a field trip to the movies.
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In a statement, the Department of Youth & Community Development said it was "disturbed by the allegations."
The agency "is working to ensure that the provider fully cooperates with the investigation and that appropriate actions are taken," the statement continued. "Nothing is more important to the city than the safety and well-being of our young people."
Authorities say Road to Success notified the appropriate agencies immediately about the allegations and removed the man from its program. He went through all the requisite background checks required of city-funded programs and their employees and was cleared to participate.
