The NYPD and Shomrim at a scene - Illustration Picture

CROWN HEIGHTS [CHI] — At 4:12pm, Friday, Erev Shabbos, a child called the Shomrim hotline asking for help. The child stated that he was just molested at the Empire Shtibel Mikvah and the perpetrator was still in the Mikvah.

Numerous Shomrim members arrived on the scene within seconds. After speaking to the child, they requested for Police to further investigate. The members had the suspect, a 23 year old Israeli, wait for Police.

Child Molested in Crown Heights Mikvah

The NYPD and Shomrim at a scene – Illustration Picture

CROWN HEIGHTS [CHI] — At 4:12pm, Friday, Erev Shabbos, a child called the Shomrim hotline asking for help. The child stated that he was just molested at the Empire Shtibel Mikvah and the perpetrator was still in the Mikvah.

Numerous Shomrim members arrived on the scene within seconds. After speaking to the child, they requested for Police to further investigate. The members had the suspect, a 23 year old Israeli, wait for Police.

The child told the Police what happened and the officers, then walked suspect to precinct, for further questioning by detectives.

After being interrogated at the precinct the suspect was formally arrested on charges pertaining to his crimes.

In case of an emergency never hesitate to call 911 and Shomrim at (718) 774-3333 24/7

104 Comments

  • Anonymous

    Unbelievable chinuch the child was given that he thought and was able to call for help! Yasher Koach to his parents!

  • important

    I think the important lesson here is that EVERY parent has the duty to educate their child that if anyone touches them inappropriately (you don’t have to go into much detail) that they should not keep quiet about it and call for help right away. Make sure your child knows that it is not their fault and they did not do anything wrong, no matter what the molester tells them.

    This cuold literally save a childs life in the future.

  • Moishie

    It appears naive to imagine our community is immune to this. It was good that the child was aware enough to report this to the police.
    This was good teaching on either the parents or schools part.

  • very impressed!

    that is a very mature and brave child!!! Let all our children learn from this young one; how to call for help and NOT be ashamed to do so!!!!

  • finally someone did the right thing

    Thank G-d the boy spoke up! Thank you for taking this to the POLICE its about time crown heights stopped putting up with this type of behavior. Molestation is crime and against halacha which some people seem to forget.

  • DISCUSTED BY THIS

    and now we’re suppose to encourage our children to go to the mikvah when we hear this.This is sick there has to be a stop to all these sick things happening to our inoccent children.

  • no pity on child molesters

    good for the child, good they didn’t hush it up. good they arrested him, hope he rots. wished the shomrim beat the guy to a pulp before calling the police.

  • proud!

    What a smart boy, I am so glad he called shomrim and they took care of this scum!!! They better prosecute him to the fullest extent. Post his picture, ch.info!! We need to know who he is so we can keep our most precious possessions out of his hands!!!!!!!!!

  • qkfngers

    that boy is very brave and strong for coming forward and telling the authorities right away. he was able to think clearly and quickly.
    let’s hope we, the community, has the strength this boy showed and prosecute this man to the full extent of the law!

  • AZ

    Boruch Hashem that this behemah is behind bars (ad meah ve’esrim shonoh) (if he is truly guilty) and big kudos to the parents of this child for teaching him not to be quiet about this and calling the shomrim!!!!!

  • CHER

    What ever happened to the molester in the end, was he arrested?

    Did any of our self righteous “community leaders” (who are never to be seen when we are in real trouble) come to rescue this perv?
    no surprise if they did, they have an agenda and if that means releasing a perv back on our streets to continue molesting our children that fine with them. I hope we will not find out that was the case, g-d have mercy if it is.

  • shlucha

    big yasher koach to the parents of the boy for educating him in a way that he knew he had to tell someone, and there was nothing wrong with it. good going! all parents should take a lesson! teach your kids about good touch and bad touch, and about what to do if someone touches in an inappropriate way.

  • Moe

    this picture can’t be from this scene.
    1. if you notice the trees are full with leaves. looks like in spring time.
    2. there aren’t any trees on that block.
    3. who would wear short sleeve shirt on cold day in January.

    if you can’t take the picture, don’t replace it with something else.

  • concerned parent

    where is this guy?
    I as a parent am concernd about these pieces of crap hanging around this community it has to be stopped.

  • Roses

    This is a horror being uncovered throughout the religious community. I give tremendous credit to that poor child for speaking up. Kudos to Shomrim and Crown Heights for protecting the victim and not the criminal. We can no longer keep everything under the “rug of religion”. This is not massering – the criminal is just that a criminal and the laws of rodeph apply to him. Good Work, Shomrim of CH

  • disgusted

    how sickening is this world??? what is going on!!!!!!!! well done to the kid for calling shomrim and telling someone!!!

  • G-d-s right hand man

    That is really heinous !
    It is unbelieveable yet not all jew’s are good !
    there are some real sinners !
    out there do what you can to uphold the derech eretz and law’s of g-d and country ! Devarim 29:28
    The sinning against adom vmakom merits serious punishment !let’s say our piece and leave our gloves off!!

  • nothing-s shocking anymore...

    this is an excellent ending to a terrible story. no cover ups, no brushing under the rug, just quick,decisive action. i applaud the child for calling shomrim and i hope he gets all the help he needs after this terrible experience.

  • magen avraham

    if we find out his name he better carry a bat this precedent will be severely detered physically

  • john

    thank u for being discrete in your fotos u did the right thing

    may this site get more success

  • wondering

    there was no one else in the mikve? no one saw? what did he do to him? how old was the child?

  • sick of these sickos!!!

    Great job!! It’s fantastic the child knew whom to call. Now the monster should be prosecuted & the parents need to get counseling ASAP for the boy & not brush it under the rug.

    Parents, don’t let your kids go to the Mikvah ALONE!!

  • give a medal to this child

    are you kidding, thank you to the kid who had the maturity to get with the program pronto. Kid, you are amazing, such bravery at a moment when you were in such shock and confusion etc. I wonder if this child had been educated by his parents to react like this???? Hello parents!

  • Yossi

    Thank you for reporting this. The community must stand up to these criminals. I hope the kid gets help.

  • protect our kids

    this is a lesson to those parents trying to “protect” their children by not informing them that there are molesters out there and how to react and respond asap-wow to the child who knew how to repond so quickly!!!
    and yes its great that crownheights.info puts this info up-this is a great eye opener for what our world is capable of

  • scared mother

    ok now for the safety of all our childern can you please post a picture of the person!it is not fare to keep us in the dark!

  • JJ

    this is crazy! thank g-d the boy was brave enough to call the shomrim and the police and report this incident.

    Hopefully this pervert will not ever do this again.

  • notimportant

    how about the shomrim taking a quick halacha class. why did bushy head full beard think he had a right to drive his red suv home at 5:40! where was the emergency? why couldnt he ask the police to park it for him as they did the scooters?I saw the whole incident and believe me there was total unnecessary chilul shabbos. shame on you guys

  • kaylee

    I am very impressed that the child had the guts to call shomrim. Bec lots of kids will just get nervous and bottle it up inside of them.

  • koolchossid

    good job shomrim!
    my seichel enushi tells me that they did the right thing ,but

    question : when does the law of mesira applies and when doos not?
    did they ask the BD BEFORE delivering the guy to the cops?

  • mrs stein

    thats so terrible that such a thing could happen in a mikvah. you would think that a mikvah should be a safe place to go. good thing he was caught.

  • b.f.

    since we are no longer in the days of the holy Alter Rebbe ,where people would toyvel in below zero temp. in order to fulfill the great mitzva. I feel we are at a time to start toyveling one man at a time respectfully. This way is unfortunately a candy store(and a very inexpensive one-only a mere $2) for any sicko. Even if a child is not physicallly abused does not mean that a sicko isnt taking in sick thoughts on your childs behalf.

  • Crown Heights mother

    I am so sorry that the child had to experience this. His parents deserve credit for properly educating him to immediately speak up if he feels violated. It is very unfortunate that this happened, but a reminder that real dangers do exist. This child’s courage is a testament to the value of awareness by both parents and children to the existence of predators, (unfornately, even from within our own)and education as to how to deal with it.

  • bh

    amazing!!! That boy was taught very well!!! BH he spoke up and called shomrim and bh they responded properly!!! we need to get rid of all these sickos who ruin our kids lives!!!!!!

  • grateful to the child

    And thanks, child, for speaking up. Parents, I’m sure this courageous boy’s parents taught him to SPEAK UP when something like this happens. Wow, nip ’em in the bud.

  • a concerned mother

    Please, poeple, protect your children!!! they are our responsibilty!! do not send children alone to the mikva alone. these sick people are waiting for children who are vulnerable, and they cannot protect themselves from those who are bigger than them. If he is guilty, I hope he is sentenced and locked away for a long time. I can guarantee that this was not his first victim, and if he is allowed to roam free, will not be his last. keep our children safe!!!

  • mendy

    c”h is abov that they should be very stricted if someone try
    that they should put him in charim(I never knew reshaim go to the mikveh)

  • distraught

    help help help the young men so they don’t get to be 23 year old molesters…where is the help…who can help…what can be done?????

  • Mendy

    Thank you shomrim! You guys are amazing and can always be counted upon to assist in any situation. I hope the child gets over this, and may he only know good things from now on.

  • me myself and i

    to: 1234 who said “you should not put this on your site they got the guy already its not nice”

    huh… yeh your right, lets not tell the whole world that we have this issue in crown heights, let us continue to feel bad for satmer bc “they are the only ones with these problems”

    reality check…

    we have these issues in crown heights everyone should know about it and yes ch.info put up pic of him so everyone knows even if you get accused for such a thing your gona go down.

    why wait for it to happen, why hide it under the rug…

    oh about the accused, if you get accused its bc you done somethin bad.

    and last… right across from one of our schools lives one of these creatures… what are we doing about it… nothing

  • Professionally speaking...

    JJ, and all others who think the story is over:

    Unless he is sent to prison where other prisoners will murder him if they find out what he is in for, this guy will definitely do it again. It is a sickness, and the worst kind because it cannot be cured. Posting a proven molester’s picture is a mitzvah because you will save many other lives by letting people know to stay away from him.

  • Shira

    b’h this little boy spoke up and they caught this monster! how many crown heights children need to be molested before parents wake up to see that there are evil people living amongst us (yes frum jewish ppl) and they need to be taken down! may he be the first of many to be put behind bars for their horrible actions and help us put an end to its many reactions.

  • batya

    BS”D

    sick bastard
    u best not show his face or name or i would probably break this teeth

  • mikvah dood

    how do you know that the story ever happened? does it make sense to you that at 412 on a fri afternoon no one would be in a mikvah! come on we are in crown heights, the mikvas are full 5 min before shkeah do you really think that no one saw?

  • mom in the ghetto

    This wasn’t a “child”. He was in his teens. His parents bought him up well that is forsure!

  • SRG SAYS

    IS THIS BAD BOCHER BEING SENT BACK TO ISRAEL? AS FOR THE YOUNG BOY THAT IT HAPPEN TO B H HE IS O K DOES HIS PARENTS KNOW WHAT HAPPEN TO HIM?

  • Roses

    To Mikvah Dood, That attitude is part of the problem. Childre, that are victims, r”l, are so used to being told that it can’t be true. Nobody convicted the alleged molester yet, but ALL PARENTS should speak to their children of how to recognize the signs of abuse.
    Why are you more sympathetic with whoever this pervert is than with the innocent kid, and probably many more like him.

  • resident of ch

    Thank you for posting this story. While some expressed confusion as to the purpose of posting this story, it is extremely importatn to bring about an awareness to the community that such incidents do occur. All children should be educated to respond by calling the police and parents immediately. Let us not be in a state of denial. REportiing such stories is crucial in educating those who may be niave. In addition, there should be pictures and names of those who have molested children; we need to protect our kids!!!!!!!!!

  • A PROUD SHOMRIM MEMBER

    to notimportant:
    you ask “how about the shomrim taking a quick halacha class”. first off we actually have shiurim on a weekly basis.

    in reference to your other question “why did bushy head full beard think he had a right to drive his red suv home at 5:40! where was the emergency?” do you monitor our radios? maybe there was an emergency, who are you to question it? and besides the psak from the rabonim is to drive back from the call incase you will need the vehicle C“V agin for another emergency.

    you then ask ”why couldnt he ask the police to park it for him as they did the scooters“? out of respect to the congregants of the shul the nypd were asked to take the scooters round the corner as to not cause a big scene.

    you then state ”I saw the whole incident and believe me there was total unnecessary chilul shabbos. shame on you guys” there was no chilul shabbos made, the halacha is that from the second the call comes in till you arrive back from the call, you can do what ever is needed for the call without the hesitation about shabbos

  • another point

    by the way, what I am going to say is in NO WAY WHATSOEVER in defense of this sicko, but tragically, many times, these young molesters are mere products of children being molested themselves as children. I have sadly heard many stories like this. They become confused about right and wrong and about their sexuality in general.

    Why I am even bringing this up? There needs to be more awareness about molestation in the frum communities. It must not remain a taboo subject. I am not saying that this person was molested as a child, but many times it is the situation, and if more awareness was brought, perhaps this domino effect will cease.

    I am so proud of the boy who came forward. Please please all parents, make your child aware of this subject, you are NOT protecting them by shielding them.

  • SZ

    On Friday night, 2 Israeli boys, with semi beards knocked on our door and asked if they can eat with us. We had never seen them before. One of them claied to have been part of the Kevutzah last year. After the meal they left (seperatley) from the front door. Unbeknown to us, as they were leaving one of them saw our 2 Argentian female guest coming back to our house through the basement door. He told then that he lives in this house so they let him in. After he came in he attacked one of the girls. They ran out of the house and he walked out, too.
    Do we know who we allow into our homes? Are we being too relaxed? This Israeli boy later told one of my nephews that he now knows our combination to the house (which we changed, of course). We all need to be more aware and have our antennas up

  • ch res

    there 3 thing id like to say

    #1 he will go to prison unless chanena sperlin or mr ubmner the 2 people who don’t care if right or wrong but they get the guilty out of prison if they have the get out of jail free card (yellow flag) on their jacket so lets make sure they don’t help this perv
    # 2 to all the people in empire shtebel who stood out side the shul yelling at shomrim members to let him go what would you say if the child that was molested was your son

    # 3 good going shomrim

  • drown the pervs

    BS”D

    Maybe it would not be a bad idea to have a Shomrim led volunteer patrol team in the mikvaois at prime times. After this there may be a copycat crime or we may have a couple more of these perverts around who we need to detect before there is another incident.

  • pidyon shevuim???

    one second-what happened to pidyon shevuim over here? what is it the people in crown heights DECIDE which crime is right or wrong to either help or not help get someone out of jail? is that how it works?

  • Pentax

    It really hurt reading this article.

    To answer your question…
    If you want a photo there are websites where you can
    type your zip code and get all the sickos photos and addresses,
    I’m sure he will be there soon.

  • meir

    BS”D

    Beore you hang this guy, (and if it did it he probably deserves punishment although he probably is ill emotionally)
    there are many cases where children take an innocent contact and it is then blown into a crime.

    What could be innocent contact in a mikvah?-in a crowded mikvah for 1, it happens that one can bump into a child, number 2, many children use the mikvah to swim and play various games that results in them initiating the contact or even kicking a grown up,number 3,in some cases some grown ups unfortuntley retaliate.For that reason I avoid children in the mikvah.

    So lets wait and see.

    Meir

    Meir

  • Dovid S.

    Hi all:
    I find this case and all the follow up comments posted by people here extremely disturbing, I can safely assume that not one person here knows even one percent of the facts in this particular case, even Shomrim don’t know the full story, as of right now there are many discrepancies between what was said in court by the DA and what police with knowledge of the case had said, as well as in this news article. I know some aspects but i cannot discuss because this is not the place for that right now.

    My problem is as follows:

    1. How does anyone here know that everything the alleged 15 year old victim said is fact and that he is not confused or even mistook an incidental small bump by someone as improper, and if this alleged molestation took place Friday afternoon, wasn’t the mikva full of people at that time?? The list of questions go on and on.(as i said i cannot get in to all the gory details and charges it is not proper for this venue)

    2. were rabbonim contacted and if so did they ascertain the facts by questioning the alleged victim and the alleged perpetrator or possible witnesses before the police was called?

    3. Did anyone that posted comments on this site consider that there may be some type of error in this case, and maybe some perfectly innocent life may be completely destroyed?

    4. Can anyone here tell me that they investigated this case and are sure beyond a reasonable doubt that this Israeli bochur did in fact commit this alleged despicable crime??? Before you all convict and hang him.
    Now if the facts come out to be clear and convincing that a child was molested by this guy then by all means anyone that commits this type of crime which in some cases is comparable to murder, should be outed so everyone can know who he is and keep their family members safely away from him, and hopefully have him put in a psycho hospital for a very long time. Molesters can really destroy many people lives and are so sick that they don’t stop.

    On the other end as Yidden we must understand that if we destroy an innocent bochurs life with out knowing the facts, then we are just as guilty as the child molesters.

    Parents please don’t allow your young children to go to the mikva alone, because it is a place that sick people come to prey on young victims. You need to be responsible, and train your children to scream if someone touches them inappropriately.

  • POTZAYID

    SHAME ON ALL OF YOU ALL OF A SUDEN ON THIS SUBJECT EVRY ONE IS A MUMMCHA (SO MANY COMMENTS) WHAT HAS BECOME OF US ! R”LTZ

  • mother of almost a dozen

    Kol Hakovod to this child. He absolutely MUST have AMAZING parents!!!!! what kind of crazy parent allows their child to go to the mikveh by himself??????? this poor kid is being taught self defense because his parents can’t be bothered doing their job protecting him the normal way. I have children as well. I would NEVER send my son to the mikveh on his own. Not because I would be afraid of molesters but because I would be afraid of a young child Chas Vesholom drowning. these parents should be taken to task for neglect!!!

  • Shlucha

    wow and not one idiot wrote AD MOSAI!!!! MOSHIACH NOW!!!!! in caps lock yet.

    well now someone did

  • OY VEY PUBLICIZE THIS???

    CAN YOU BELIEVE SOMEONE WROTE: “DO WE HAVE TO PUBLICIZE THIS”?
    NOW YOU KNOW WHY WE HAVE PROBLEMS REGARDING NOT DEALING WITH STUFF. WAKE UP!!! SMELL THE COFFEE, THINGS HAVE TO BE DEALT WITH, AND THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH THEM IS TO OPEN UP, TALK ABOUT IT, NOT IN DARK DUNGEONS OF SECRECY. THOSE DAYS ARE OVER THANK GD.

  • A responce from me myself and i

    to: Dovid S.

    “even Shomrim don’t know the full story”
    and from your comments nor do you! this story has its facts and this is no mistake. this bocher is lucky… the dirt on him is yet to be told. as a matter of fact shomrim and ch.info are holding back pic of him and info for his benefit.

    “mistook an incidental small bump by someone as improper”
    Excuse me in this day and age you dont “bump” and it was a intentional touch.

    “were rabbonim contacted and if so did they ascertain the facts by questioning the alleged victim and the alleged perpetrator or possible witnesses before the police was called?”

    Which rov do you ask in the 18 minutes such a question. its hard enough finding a rov during the week.

    and a rov in our community saying yes or no to arrest will get such opposition from the “other” side that non of them would even want to give a straight answer.

    and what ARE you supposed to do to such a guy minutes before shabbos, keep an eye on him, ANY ONE WANA VOLENTEER???

  • david

    OF COURSE THIS SHOULD BE PUBLICIZED!!
    OF COURSE THIS SHOULD BE PUBLICIZED!!
    OF COURSE THIS SHOULD BE PUBLICIZED!!

    to make sure this NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!!!!!

    Baruch HaShem for the child reporting this and the criminal being caught!!

    NEVER AGAIN should this happen!! Moshiach NOW!!

  • Moishele

    For all those who are jumping the gun and convicting this fellow without a trial, evidence, knowledge of the facts etc – I have this to say to you:

    Remember the “rape” perpetrated by the Duke University lacrosse team…

    IF and when he is found to be guilty of intentional molestation, then we give him what he deserves. But as someone mentioned, if he is not guilty, and no intentional molestation happened, we can all be guilty of utterly destroying a young man’s life.

  • sympathetic

    i think they should make a special home for all the people that leave comments on ch.info…:)

  • Age...

    To all those saying how can the parents let their son go to the mikvah alone…are you sure about his age? it seems he is a teenager so I dont think the parents did anything wrong by sending him by himself!!! as a matter of fact they did a GR8 job teaching him to respond properly! On the other hand YOUNG boys should NOT be going to the mikvah by themselves at all!!!

  • annomymus

    i dont think it is appropiate to broadcast this on a lubavitcher sight when our kids boys and girls are constant visitors to this particular sight

  • T S

    Study the law pertaining to inappropriate touching, molestation and the like. Study the symptoms and watch out for them.

    Study what constitutes (non-sexual, but nonetheless) child abuse, and not even physical, but psychological (i.e. behavior that retards a child’s development and sense of self-worth by conveying to the child that they are worthless, flawed, unloved, or unwanted including insults, constant criticism, harsh demands, threats, and yelling).

    Study whether YOU are building or breaking a child with your “education” or parenting methodologies, all excuses aside.

    Don’t forget the explicit illegality of allowing minors under your watch to drink alcohol (your legal responsibility and liability to what occurs in your home or building). There is exception for a parent, but still an explicit violation for even a parent for endangering the welfare of a child with regards to alcohol.

    Last, but not least, be very careful of swinging from one extreme – sweeping everything under the rug in the name of halacha – to the other – where everyone is a sudden expert judge and jury for every event heard from someone else.

    Just as there are many abuse victims, there are many innocent people whose lives are destroyed by inappropriately attached labels and allegations.

    The bottom lines:
    If something happens to you, get justice done.
    Teach your children rules of contact and engagement for friend or stranger.
    Teach yourself about parenting and teaching children.
    If you hear about something about someone else, don’t get swept into hype. You’re not, so don’t be, the judge.
    And there are always exceptions to rules.

  • NUDGE

    You’re all brainwashed by the psychobabble out there. Nothing earth shattering happens from an inappropriate tocuh

  • Layale

    Bravo ! its about time a crown heights blog/site decides to post this instead of pushing it under the rug wit te rest of the poor victims. Now Please, go a step further and post his name and picture !

  • moshiach now!

    to be more informed about this serious serious problem, see web site jonahweb.com they also have a sicha from the Rebbe available relating to this topic. it is not true in all cases that people cannot be helped. it is extremely important to put emphasis on help. there are now highly trained professionals working in this area in the last few years. this is a serious disease which needs serious attention and treatment.

  • harryPotter

    Its sad yet funny at the same time that so many people who left comments seem to think this is such an obscure event. it happens every day in crown heights just 99.9% of kids that are abused will not speak up till many years later.

    Those of you who think “nothing earth shattering” happens from inappropriate touch, or that this should not be made public are either scared that you are next, or living in la la land.

    A kid knows the difference between being molested and being bumped into for a second in the mikvah.

  • me

    ok, NOW is the time to hear from shea hecht! i understand that this is one of the issues that he deals with.

  • ITS ABOUT TIME

    obviously a thorough investigation has to be made before throwing names around, however IT IS ABOUT TIME that something like this is going public.

    The effect that molestation has on a person effects all aspects of their life especially when it comes to getting married.

    It may be harsh, but we have to report crimes like this, Why should so many children have to be disturbed for the rest of their lives because the first child it happened to did not report it.

    A molester does not stop after the first time, they wont stop until theyre caught!

    Unfortunately this can happen in your own home-be careful who you let in your home and always keep your eyes open!

  • Ah Yes, its About Time

    Seems like this kinda stuff is new to CH’ers.

    I can hardly wait for the of lava to erupt in the headlines of the victems of their preists (..) up in the areas neighboring CH.

    The difference is that over there the mass victimization lies securely beneath bomb proof cover. Speak up and you’ll have the choice to either to finance the morgages of all your grandchildren or be blackmailed with death threats.

    January 6, 2009 4:29am

  • zach

    Good for him. This plague of child molestation must stop and every child must be taught that anyone – even a “trusted” rebbe – should be reported.

    Also there is NO reason for a child to be going to the mikvah, period!

  • ce

    when can we know this mentally ill person’s name, so we can know if he was near anyone else we know. We would need to talk to our own kids about this.

  • del

    and I hope that these people know that we can now do something to them, so they should be nervous.
    but most of all, if any of them have a conscience, I hope they go for help….although….its known that it doesnt always work with these people….
    HaShem Yishmor