NYC Police Officer Arrested on Child Abuse Charges

A police officer from New York City was arrested Wednesday night on allegations of rape and sexual battery involving a child. This comes after he reportedly acknowledged breaching department protocols, including engaging in a perilous high-speed chase and allegedly neglecting to turn on his body camera, as stated by the District Attorney’s Office.

Officer Joshua Acosta, 39, was taken into custody while off-duty at the 61st Precinct in Brooklyn around 7:46 p.m. This precinct oversees parts of southern Brooklyn.

The criminal complaint, which has 11 charges, claims that Acosta engaged in various sexual acts with girls who were both under the age of 13 and under 17. Allegedly, this misconduct persisted from September 2021 until June 2026.

Acosta’s legal representatives, Jason Goldman and David Gelfand, expressed to media that even though the charges are “undoubtedly serious,” they are also “patently false.”

They shared, “While we are extremely disappointed that Officer Acosta’s reputation has been tarnished, we look forward to clearing his name through the appropriate channels once all the facts are known.”

According to documents from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, which is currently handling Acosta’s case, he was the target of multiple civilian complaints before his arrest.

Records obtained indicate that Acosta acknowledged his negligence during an incident while patrolling in Bedford-Stuyvesant. On January 4, 2019, he pursued a suspect, reaching speeds of 56 miles per hour, seemingly without considering the severity of the crime or the safety implications.

Moreover, Acosta did not activate his body camera during the pursuit or the traffic stop. This situation concluded on July 30, 2020, resulting in a penalty of losing 15 vacation days.

There were additional complaints filed against him with the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), the authority responsible for investigating police misconduct in New York City. One complaint is still under review, while the CCRB substantiated claims from an incident on September 26, 2019, involving verbal and physical threats and other misconduct. Consequently, a stricter command discipline was enforced.

There are also two other cases against Acosta; one involves an incident where he allegedly chased a robbery suspect into his home in June 2019. The suspect stated later that no search warrant was issued for the search performed by Acosta.

In August 2021, the Inspector General’s Office notified the CCRB that Acosta would undergo training for lawful property searches, noting that while his actions were unauthorized, he acted in what seemed to be good faith, without proper guidance at the scene.

The other pending case involves his response to a family dispute on August 29, 2020, where it’s suggested he failed to conduct a thorough investigation.

David Gelfand, one of Acosta’s attorneys, remarked that these past allegations of police misconduct are unrelated to the current case. He emphasized, “Law enforcement faces intense scrutiny, and the fact that Officer Acosta has had several accusations over a span of 14 years is not particularly notable. We intend to contest his case based on the merits and clear his name.”

The Brooklyn Prosecutor’s Office has refrained from commenting further beyond what’s detailed in the disclosure document. The NYPD has not provided an immediate response to requests for comment.