Special-education teacher breaks silence after arrest for putting five-year-old boy in a chokehold

A New York City special education teacher has been arrested and charged after allegedly putting a 5-year-old child in a chokehold, police said.

Prosecutors say Anthony Wicks, 46, a teacher at PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Elementary School in Hamilton Heights, grabbed the boy by the neck with both hands around 1:30 p.m. Monday.

He was charged with second-degree assault and acting in a manner harmful to a child. The judge ordered Wicks to have no contact with the child and he was placed under supervision following his arraignment on Tuesday.

When asked if he understood the judge’s orders, Wicks replied, “Yes, of course,” CBS News reported.

Wicks, who worked for the New York City Department of Education for five years, was spotted leaving the Manhattan courthouse with his husband on Tuesday.

The alleged incident occurred in a classroom after the five-year-old refused to go to the “time-out corner” when ordered to do so by the school principal, the student’s older brother said. (Photo: PS 153 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Elementary School)

The alleged incident occurred in a classroom when the 5-year-old refused to go to the “time-out corner” after being told to do so by the school principal, the child’s older brother told CBS News.

According to the parents, Wicks is an assistant teacher at the school.

“He made a big deal about going to time-out… and then the teacher choked him,” the brother said.

“That teacher wasn’t even the one who spoke to him… What other people told me is that he was crying when he was being strangled and he couldn’t calm down.”

After the principal informed him about the incident, the child’s father was asked to come to school. He told the father that the boy was fine.

“It was a scary moment for him. He said… his teacher’s hands were firmly around his neck and he said he would behave and he asked his teacher to let go,” the father, who asked to remain anonymous, told the outlet.

Wicks (right) walks out of court with his husband on Tuesday after his arraignment in Manhattan Superior Court.

Meanwhile, a parent of a child in the five-year-old’s class said she didn’t know what had happened.

“I had to find out through social media,” the unnamed mother said.

“That teacher is my child’s teacher, my five-year-old child, and it’s so upsetting because the school hasn’t released anything… I went there to speak, but they couldn’t give me any information. I want to withdraw him today.”

DailyMail.com contacted Wicks for comment.

A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘This alleged behaviour is completely unacceptable and this employee has been immediately removed from this site.

“Pending the outcome of the arrest and if convicted, we will pursue their discharge. There is nothing more important than the safety and well-being of our students.”

Wicks (center) stands on the school’s website, smiling next to a group of teachers and administrators

The judge has ruled that he is not allowed to have any contact with the child and he has been placed under supervision following his summons.

According to Wicks’ Facebook profile, he is from Toledo, Ohio and currently lives in Manhattan.

He studied English and creative writing/theater at Siena Heights University and received his master’s degree in early childhood special education from CUNY Hunter College.

Before joining the city’s education department, Wicks was a kindergarten teacher for three years, CBS News reported.

He is pictured on the school’s website, smiling next to a group of teachers and administrators.