Shirley janitor arrested for inappropriate communications with 7-year-old student

Suffolk County police on Friday arrested an elementary school janitor accused of engaging in inappropriate communications with a child.

News 12 Staff

Oct 4, 2019, 9:09 PM

Updated 1,875 days ago

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Suffolk County police on Friday arrested an elementary school janitor accused of engaging in inappropriate communications with a child.
Police say that the 18-year-old janitor works at John S. Hobart Elementary School in Shirley and engaged in a face-to-face conversation with a 7-year-old female student on Oct. 3, in which he inquired about her access to the internet and electronic means of communication.
The victim’s father, Nick Reisiger, says he's enraged after his daughter told him a janitor at her school was saying that he liked her and gave her his phone number.
"One of the janitors found my daughter attractive and has been stalking her throughout the school, put his phone number in her pocket yesterday,” he says.
News 12 has learned that it was later revealed in an investigation that the man allegedly left a total of 18 notes of adoration in the student's desk prior to the in-person conversation.
"This guy was pretty much telling my daughter he's in love with her, and trying to get her to sneak out of the house and trying to get to sneak and meet him,” says Reisiger.
The janitor, who lives in Riverhead, was arrested at the school on Oct. 4 just before 11 a.m.
He is being charged with endangering the welfare of a child and is expected to be arraigned on Oct. 5 at First District Court in Central Islip.
Police are asking anyone who may have had similar contact with him to call the Seventh Precinct Crime Section at 631-852-8726.

News 12 has put in multiple requests for the name of the suspect, but has been denied by the Suffolk County Police Department.

Reisiger says the janitor’s first name is John.

A spokesperson for the school says the staff is furious over the allegations against the janitor. They say he was employed at the school through the Department of Labor Youth Employment Program.

The William Floyd School District sent News 12 a statement saying, "When we learned that this occurred, we immediately removed him from his post and worked collaboratively with the police department to ensure they had all of the information they needed to make an arrest.

Reisiger says his daughter is extremely upset.

He says he wants parents to talk to their children.

"I doubt my daughter was the first,” he says. “I doubt she was the last."