Mom denounces babysitter, 34, who abused her son for five years at their Manhattan home
‘You really are a straight-up predator’: Mum slaps babysitter, 34, who abused her son for six years in their Manhattan home as pedophile sentenced to 12 years in prison
- Jonathan ‘Jay’ Luna, 34, of New York, has been convicted of sexually assaulting a child for raping the former boy he babysat for six years in Manhattan
- The mother discovered the abuse – which took place from when her son was in second to sixth grade – only after her child told her that Luca had ‘raped’ him
- Prosecutors fear there are more victims because he worked with children as a camp counselor and in after-school programs
A New York City mom called her former babysitter a “straightforward predator” after he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for six years of sexually abusing her son in their Manhattan home.
The unidentified mother addressed Jonathan “Jay” Luna, 34, of New York City in the Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday, telling her former babysitter that he had broken her “mother’s heart.”
“Calling yourself a wolf in sheep’s clothing feels like it in a way, but that sounds too poetic,” she said, tears in her eyes. “What you really are is an outright predator, a pedophile.”
The mother discovered the abuse – which took place from when her son was in second through sixth grade – only after her child reported that Luca had “raped” him.
“He told us that that man – our man – had repeatedly and regularly abused him … raped him, were our son’s words,” she said during her 10-minute victim impact statement.
An unidentified mother addressed Jonathan “Jay” Luna, 34, of New York (pictured) in the Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday, telling her former babysitter that he had broken her “mom’s heart”
Luca allegedly sexually assaulted the woman’s son for six years while acting as his babysitter
Her “tormented” son, who is now a teenager, suffered from nightmares and, according to his mother, has not been able to enjoy experiences similar to his peers, such as sleepover camp.
“You did those things, and then you did them again. You could have quit knowing you crossed the line, but you didn’t. You did it in our house for years without his permission. He was so young, so small,” the mother said in court, according to the New York Post.
“Until then, we considered you part of the family. I took care of you more like a cousin than a nanny,’ she continued. “As for me, your actions literally broke my heart – my mother’s heart.”
In addition, prosecutors are concerned that there may be more victims, as Luca has worked with children for several years.
The mother’s “tormented” son, who is now a teenager, suffered from nightmares and was unable to enjoy experiences similar to his peers, such as sleepover camp, she said.
Prosecutors fear there are more victims because he worked with children as a camp counselor and in after-school programs
He worked as a Cubmaster from 2007 to 2012, as a camp counselor at the Boy Scout Keowa Summer Camp in Sullivan County in the summer of 2015, as an after-school counselor at the McBurney YMCA Afterschool Program on P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village from 2013 through 2016, as camp counselor at Camp Wayne for Boys in Pennsylvania in 2016 and 2017, and as an after-school counselor at the Imogen Foundation on P.S. 340 in Chelsea from March 2022 to May 2022.
“Based on the employment history of the accused person who works with children in after-school programs and summer camps, we are deeply concerned that there may be additional casualties,” District Attorney Bragg said in a statement.
Those who believe they are victims of Luca’s are encouraged to call the DA Office’s Child Abuse Unit.
Upon his release, Luca was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 13 years under supervision.