A city Department of Education employee has been suspended from a Bronx school after he was arrested for allegedly sending lewd text messages to boys about their feet and underwear, officials say.
Teacher’s aide London King tried to get overly friendly with two students at the Walter J. Damrosch School, — using their cell phones to ask one kid for pictures of his feet while sending another a shirtless picture of himself — according to a criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said King, 35, took a 13-year-old’s cell phone and punched in his own number.
He later used the boy’s phone number to send him $45 via CashApp before sending him a text message.
“Let’s hang out,” the message said, according to the complaint. “I’ll come get you.”
A second boy, 14, said London whispered an inappropriate message to him.
“I see you. I love you,” the aide allegedly said. “I like those underwear. I saw you pull your pants up. You need to pull them back down.”
He also communicated with the boy on Instagram, officials said.
“Baby. hang out with me,” he posted, according to prosecutors.
In another message, King allegedly said, “Do you want to hang out outside of school?”
The 14-year-old boy said King gave him money on two separate occasions.
“Go get something nice for yourself,” London said, according to court records.
King was first arrested on Thursday, police said. He was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault.
He was arrested again on Friday after three more victims came forward to report his behavior, cops said.
King targeted two 14-year-old boys and a 12-year-old boy in three separate incidents on Oct. 20, 2023, March 1, 2023 and Jan. 4 of this year, according to authorities.
He was released without bail at his Friday arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court, despite the prosecutor’s request for bail, court records show.
Education Department spokeswoman Jenna Lyle said King has been suspended.
“Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our students,” she said in a statement. “This alleged behavior is extremely concerning. This employee has been suspended pending the outcome of the arrest and if convicted, we will pursue termination.”
