STAMFORD, CT (WPIX)—
An elementary school parent who was designated as a chaperone on a class field trip faces sexual assault charges Thursday after police say he groped a half dozen fifth graders.According to New York City police, Tomas Manzano, 35, of Stamford was one of a handful of parents accompanying the Stillmeadow Elementary fifth grade class on a school field trip to Manhattan Wednesday.
The shocking incident happened on a parked tour bus outside the theme restaurant Mars 2112 on Broadway and 51st Street where Manzano got combative and started sexually attacking his son's classmates, NYPD officials said. The 35 year-old father allegedly groped the breasts and genitals of a half dozen girls, ages 10 to 11 -- children he was supposed to be protecting.
Responding officers arrested Manzano at the scene. It took eight cops to subdue the man police described as "apparent[ly] highly intoxicated."
Manzano, who spent the night at Bellevue Hospital's criminal psych ward, is expected to face a judge Thursday on two counts of sex abuse of a child under 11, four counts of sex abuse of a child under 14, six counts of endangering the welfare of a child under 17, and one count of resisting arrest.
Stillmeadow Elementary Principal Michael Sanders held a public meeting Thursday morning to discuss the incident with parents. PIX 11 News covered it exclusively.
"We want to be open and transparent," he told us in an interview. "All the students are back in class," he said, describing how the victims of the sexual attack are doing now. Dr. Sanders also revealed that a psychologist and a social worker are meeting with students, and are available for students' family members as well.
Parents attending the meeting applauded the principal for his handling of the incident, while others expressed utter shock over the allegations.
"I'm very surprised, I'm very surprised," one parent told PIX 11 News during parent drop-off before classes began.
Shannon Ali has a son in fifth grade at Stillmeadow who is not in the group that went to New York yesterday, but he was outraged over what happened and said it was a wake-up call, "I guess it's for more parents to get more involved, maybe we should be more involved in the chaperoning of our children."
