By MIKE CAPUTO
Aided by a tip from a concerned resident, 3rd Precinct detectives arrested Luis Cruz, a 23-year-old charity worker from Centereach, who was charged with endangering the welfare of children.
Police said that on the morning of Feb. 22, Cruz recruited teenagers from Westbury, Wyandanch and Brooklyn, ranging in age from 13 to 17, to sell items to raise funds for an organization identified as the New York Youth Club. According to detectives, Cruz had obtained permission slips from the parents of the volunteers, and drove the teens to Salisbury, where they were paired up and sent out to solicit without adult supervision.
After a resident of Clearmeadow Drive in East Meadow placed an emergency call, Cruz was arrested at about 1:30 p.m., authorities said.
Another charity worker who identified himself as being affiliated with NYYC had been arrested on Feb. 17 in Franklin Square. According to police, Marquis Felton, 22, was charged with endangering the welfare of children, apparently for recruiting youths from Hempstead, Westbury and Freeport to sell items in the West Hempstead and Franklin Square area, and dropping them off there without supervision. Fifth Precinct police in Elmont arrested Felton after they received reports of suspicious youths in the area.
Felton and Cruz were scheduled to be arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead this week.
According to a statement from Nathan Jackson, a spokesman for the New York Youth Club, the organization's mission is to "provide viable alternatives to gangs and crime for teenagers in the Greater New York area." It offers children a chance to participate in fun activities and helps them prepare for adulthood, the statement said.
In an phone interview with the Herald, Jackson said that last week's arrests were the first incidents related to NYYC's door-to-door fundraising methods during its 12 years of operation. "We are kind of shocked," Jackson said. "It came out of nowhere. We never had an incident, ever."
The issue of youth solicitors in Salisbury and East Meadow was addressed in January at a special meeting conducted by the Community Association of Stewart Avenue. At the meeting, residents complained about the recent influx of solicitors, described as children frequently going door to door, selling items out of blue bins for what they described as youth organizations.
Some residents questioned whether the wave of solicitors was linked to residential burglaries and an increase in thefts, break-ins and vandalism to automobiles. Police have not linked the teenage solicitors to those crimes.
But for those who suspected the organization and mobilization of underage peddlers, news of the arrests provided some temporary relief. "I find that we are validated in our belief in our suspicions, at least," said Helen Meittinis, the community association's president. "It is getting everybody to pay attention and to be more vigilant."
The NYYC spokesman explained that many of the participating teenagers are considered "at-risk" and come from difficult homes in high-crime areas like Wyandanch, Hempstead and parts of Westbury and Brooklyn. He emphasized that none of the team members are criminals, and are all motivated participants of the NYYC.
In response to the police's charge that the teens were "unsupervised," Jackson explained that team leaders drop them off in a designated area, and stay in close proximity. The youths pair off, and are equipped with photo identification and two-way radios to communicate with a team leader, he said. Jackson said that the youths sell items like peanuts and cookies for $8, and proceeds go to the organization. The team members are compensated for their services, he said.
"The primary concern of the NYYC is the children," Jackson said. "None of the children are ever left unsupervised or unprotected. They are never placed at risk, and in more than 10 years of existence there has never been an incident where any of the children were harmed or threatened with harm."
Jackson did say that NYYC does not condone the actions of Felton, who, police said, recruited children as young as 9.
In the statement, Jackson wrote that NYYC is in contact with elected officials and law enforcement to work out an understanding, and is also planning
outreach efforts in communities like Salisbury, Westbury, Franklin Square and West Hempstead.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
