NEW YORK CITY, NY - The New York Post reported that a newly revealed lawsuit alleges that a vampire-obsessed man allegedly sexually assaulted two young girls for years at a school in Harlem, even filming child pornography during class.
Court documents state that an after-school program teacher identified as 26-year-old Miles McNeal allegedly touched and photographed young students' naked bodies, had them assume sexual positions, and showed them pictures of the genitalia of other kids while threatening them to stay silent.
Court documents also state that staff and supervisors at PS 185 and its after school program, Beacon @ 185, apparently ignored requirements that empty classrooms be locked and staffers not be alone with the kids, enabling McNeal to engage in heinous abuse for three years.
The lawsuit alleges that administrators did nothing to stop the abuse even after McNeal was found by a PS 185 staffer alone in an empty classroom with a second-grader straddling his lap. McNeal was suspended, but only for one day and the victim's father was told his child was at fault. Families of the victims said that the nine-year-olds have been traumatized.
McNeal was arrested on February 1, 2024 and charged with sexually abusing an eight-year-old girl. Police found 52 electronic devices in his possession during the arrest. McNeal pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges, posted bail, and as of this writing the case remains pending. While in a Manhattan courtroom, the victims and their terrified families said they fear that the pornography will follow the children for the rest of their lives.
The lawsuit against McNeal was filed on January 24th and seeks unspecified damages. The victims' lawyer, Richard Emery, said in a statement, "They perfectly well knew that the person who was abusing the kids was taking them into rooms by himself almost every day, and their tacit approval of this behavior is abominable and speaks to the lack of care and vigilance to protect vulnerable children."
McNeal, who lives in Yonkers, continues to advertise "toddler childcare" and other tutoring services on Tutor Extra. He appears to be infatuated with vampires and his YouTube account, which allegedly features sexually charged videos about vampires, including one called, "Enter Carmila! The First Lesbian Vampire!"
Court documents state that his victims and their families contend McNeal was able to pull them from class "with astonishing frequency." The lawsuit states that he would "radio other staff members seeking coverage so that he could take [the victims] and others out of class to groom and abuse them."
The legal complaint lodged against the city, the Department of Education, and the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, which ran the after-school program, said that McNeal is believed to have had multiple victims. The parents said that the abuse was enabled by school staff and leadership. One staffer, a "social-emotional learning instructor," identified as Monica Vargas, who is related to McNeal by marriage, appeared to "facilitate" his depraved behavior.
The families said that in her role, Vargas would "interrogate" kids about "particularly traumatic or emotionally charged topics in their lives," such as the death of a family pet and then relay that information to McNeal to "facilitate his grooming." She also once allegedly covered for him while he was alone with a victim whose mom had come to get her.
When the child finally ran downstairs crying, Vargas allegedly told the girl's mom, "that it was wonderful [she] was engaging with her feelings." The mom emailed Beacon @ 185 director Porscha McNeill and PS 185 Principal Andrea Woodhouse-Spence, but they did not report the allegations to the DOE or the NYPD and did nothing to alert parents.
The child's father began calling other families to tell them about the allegations. That is when the second victim was discovered and her parents immediately called police. The lawsuit said, "They enabled this behavior and are if not as responsible, then more responsible for the abuse."
