Watch CBS News

Bronx Elementary School Teacher Accused Of Raping 10-Year-Old Student

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An elementary school teacher in the Bronx was arrested Wednesday and charged with raping a 10-year-old student.

As CBS 2's Dave Carlin reported, Anthony Criscuolo, 40, is a teacher at P.S. 386 School for Environmental Citizenship, at 125 E. 181st St. in Fordham Heights. He was arrested around 10 a.m. and charged with first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault against a child, police said.

Grandmother Ruth Gonzalez was desperate for answers Wednesday, and worried about the 6- and 7-year-olds in her care after learning about Criscuolo's alleged offense with the 10-year-old girl.

"I'm shocked, shocked, shocked," Gonzalez said.

Denesha Brown of Fordham Heights was especially horrified.

"I think it's very horrible, because my niece is in his class," Brown said. "It's not right. She is a 10-year-old. She cannot defend herself against no grown man."

Criscuolo's co-workers would not comment about the man or the shocking crime.

Meanwhile, outside Criscuolo's home on Kinsella Street in the Bronx, crime scene tape surrounded a Dodge Charger with heavily tinted windows where investigators say the rape took place.

Police accused the teacher of a devious trick to get the girl alone, allegedly telling the girl's mother he was taking the student to an awards ceremony at another school. Investigators said he even put the lie in writing on school letterhead.

The girl's mother called the police after finding what are described as inappropriate e-mails from the teacher to her daughter.

"That's horrible," a worried parent said, "makes me scared."

Criscuolo's next-door neighbors said they rarely saw him.

"I would have never known that anything was going on," said neighbor Reggie Stutzman. "No one is ever in and out of here. It's quiet. It's like, abandoned."

The Department of Education said Criscuolo is banned from the school where he taught, and steps are underway to fire him from his $73,000-per-year position.

He started in 2002 at P.S. 178, transferred to P.S. 498 Bronx in 2010, and then again a year later to P.S. 386, where he taught fifth grade special education.

Parents said Criscuolo also has a girlfriend who works at the same school.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.