A former Staten Island cop has been accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy — and targeting two other youngsters he met during his time as an NYPD officer, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.
Christopher Terranova, 34, allegedly contacted his underage victims via social media apps, including Snapchat, “and his abuse went beyond online exploitation” when he allegedly offered to give the teen a ride home and then sexually assaulted him, Brooklyn federal prosecutors said.
“The defendant was entrusted with the safety of our community and used his position of power and trust to gain access to and prey on vulnerable children,” US Attorney Breon Peace said.
“He is a predator and he is dangerous,” Peace said in a letter to the court.
The disturbing offenses allegedly began in February of 2022 and ended in May, when Terranova was arrested on child porn charges.
Terranova, a 12-year veteran of the force, was suspended without pay and then retired in September, according to the NYPD.
Prosecutors said that while working as a cop, Terranova allegedly sent the 15-year-old family friend nude photos of himself – and asked the teen to return the favor.
He offered to drive the teen home from a friend’s house, but instead of doing that, he brought the boy to a wooded area, “where he directed [the victim] to undress in the car and forced [the boy] to engage in sex acts with him,” Peace alleged.
Through his role as a police officer in the 121st precinct, Terranova allegedly met a 12-year-old boy who he then reached out to on social media, sending a photo of himself in his underwear and messaging the pre-teen about masturbation and asking him to send photos of his “pubes” and penis, prosecutors said.
In another case, he allegedly also “used his position of power and trust” to reach out to a 15-year-old robbery victim he’d met at the Staten Island precinct station house – at first feigning concern.
“It’s Chris Terranova the cop you met at the 121 that day with mom,” he wrote, according to prosecutors. “I just wanted to reach out to see if you were doing ok after the incident, I hate seeing these things happen to good Guys like yourself.”
The social media conversation then allegedly took a sickening turn, as the cop attempted to convince the boy to send him explicit photos, saying, “It will be fun and brotherly.”
“He has shown a blatant disrespect for the law by virtue of using his role as a police officer to abuse children,” Peace wrote in a letter to US Magistrate Judge Marcia Henry, adding Terranova “should be detained as a danger to the community.”
If convicted, Terranova could face between 15 years and a life sentence behind bars.
“The defendant allegedly preyed upon vulnerable youth in the same community he was sworn to protect,” Peace said in a statement. “Protecting minors from those who violate their position of trust will always be a priority of this Office.”
