A social studies teacher at an all-girls public school in Queens traveled to Florida to have sex with an underage teen girl he’d spent months chatting up online, authorities alleged Sunday.
After cozying up to the teen for months over the internet, Zeshaan Naqvi, who most recently taught at the Young Women’s Leadership School in Jamaica, hopped a flight down to the Sunshine State and allegedly carried out the sick act, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
“It never ceases to amaze us the lengths predators will go to, to get what they want,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister in a statement. “In this case, a middle school history teacher booked a ticket, boarded a plane, and traveled across the country to meet with a minor who he had been chatting with for about three months.”
Naqvi, 31, allegedly picked the teen up at her Tampa home around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and brought her to his hotel room, according to a statement released by Chronister’s office.
A few hours later, Naqvi returned the youth to her home — only to allegedly again pick her up around 1 p.m., authorities said.
They returned to Naqvi’s hotel, where they allegedly engaged in sexual acts, officials said.
Naqvi was ultimately arrested at the hotel around 2 a.m. Sunday, and allegedly admitted to deputies that he knew the victim was underage, authorities said.
Investigators became aware of the alleged attack after the victim’s mother questioned her whereabouts and alerted authorities.
But Chronister said that the incident should be a reminder to parents to be vigilant about who their children meet online.
“This behavior is deeply disturbing and serves as a grim warning to parents to monitor their child’s online activity,” he said.
Naqvi faces seven counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and traveling to meet a minor after using computer services to solicit certain illegal acts.
It was not immediately clear if Naqvi remained in custody Sunday or had retained a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
He did not respond to an email sent to a publicly-listed address on his school’s web site.
”No! No! Go away!” yelled a woman who answered the door Sunday afternoon at a Queens Village apartment listed in public records as belonging to Naqvi.
The woman slammed the door shut without identifying herself or answering questions.
A spokeswoman for the city Department of Education said that Naqvi — who had no prior disciplinary history since he began working for the agency in 2014 — has been reassigned from his gig at the all-girls school.
“These allegations are extremely disturbing and we have zero tolerance for this behavior,” said Danielle Filson. “The teacher has been immediately reassigned from his current position pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.”
Additional reporting by C.J. Sullivan
