NEW YORK (NY)
Daily Mail [London, United Kingdom]
August 4, 2023
By Joe Hutchison
- Matthew Chicas was fired from his role as a Maths teacher at Xavier High School after he was arrested in April after allegedly photographing a boy in a bathroom
- On Wednesday, Chicas pleaded not guilty to charges including possessing a sexual performance by a child and unlawful surveillance
- The boy claims he had been using the bathroom at another school when he saw a phone peer over the top of the bathroom stall he was in
A teacher at a prestigious New York City school has been fired after allegedly trying to film an 11-year-old boy in a bathroom stall.
Matthew Chicas has been indicted on charges including unlawful surveillance, possessing a sexual performance by a child and endangering the welfare of a child.
Chicas had been a Maths teacher at the $21,000-a-year private school Xavier High School in Manhattan, when he allegedly filmed the youngster back in April.
At the time, he had been working at the REACH leadership program and Jesuit preparatory class that was being held at Regis High School also in Manhattan.
During an appearance in Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday, Chicas pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
Chicas had been suspended after his arrest in April and Xavier High School and according to the New York Post he is no longer employed at the school.
According to a criminal complaint seen by the Post, the alleged victim had gone to the fourth floor bathroom at Regis when he heard a noise of someone moving.
The complaint continues that as he urinated the boy looked up and saw a green cell phone with a black camera hanging over the top of the stall, pointing at him.
A school official checked surveillance footage and is said to have saw Chicas walking into the bathroom prior to the alleged incident.
Chicas is said to have been seen coming out of the restroom after the boy ran out.
The papers seen by the post also say that the program director then went to the police with the footage the same day.
A statement from Regis High School said: ‘On April 15, a student informed us that an unidentified person attempted to take photos of him while he was in a restroom.
‘Immediately after the allegation was reported to us, we contacted the student’s parents and reported the allegation to both Child Protective Services and the NYPD.’
The statement continues: ‘The NYPD responded and came to Regis that afternoon to begin their investigation.
‘The same day we also notified all REACH and Regis parents with news of this allegation. Based on our review of the facts, we terminated REACH teacher Mr. Matthew Chicas.
‘Mr. Chicas has been charged with attempted illegal surveillance and endangering a minor, and REACH and Regis are fully cooperating with the NYPD’s investigation.
‘We are deeply distressed that one of our REACH teachers may have violated the high standards that we expect our faculty and staff to uphold in their interaction with our students.’
The mother of the boy, Olaya Lopez, filed a lawsuit in June of this year against Xavier High School over the alleged incident.
In it, Lopez claims the school never reported the abuse and instead to suppress it and that her son, known only as ‘JC’, reported the alleged abuse to another teacher.
Chicas is expected to make his next appearance in court on September 13, with his attorney Donald Vogelman saying his client ‘is not guilty of the charges and he looks forward to his day in court’, according to the post.