(NY)
Queens Chronicle [Glendale NY]
February 5, 2026
By Kristen Guglielmo
A Long Island man was recently arrested for sexual abuse that allegedly occurred at a Catholic school in Ozone Park more than a decade ago, according to the authorities.
The NYPD Special Victims Squad arrested Jeffrey Connelly, 36, on Jan. 22 for sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a teenage girl in 2015, cops said, within the confines of the 102nd Precinct.
According to the criminal complaint, between June 15 and July 17, 2015, Connelly, then a 25-year-old teacher at 103-12 101 Ave. in Ozone Park, the now-defunct St. Mary Gate of Heaven Catholic Academy, allegedly kissed and pressed himself against a 14-year-old student. He was charged with third-degree sexual abuse.
In addition to the incident in Queens, there is another on file, according to state court records, that also occurred in 2015, but within the NYPD’s 6th Precinct in Manhattan. In that case, Connelly is charged with three counts of third-degree sexual abuse.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Queens District Attorney’s Office said Connelly was arraigned Jan. 23 and given supervised release, as the charge is not eligible for bail. He’s due back in court for the Queens case on March 18.
A representative for the Diocese of Brooklyn, which oversees Catholic schools in Queens, said Connelly has not been employed there since September 2015, and is flagged in their system to ensure he is not eligible for hire.
Police believe there may be more victims. One may come forward by calling the NYPD’s Sex Crimes Hotline at 1 (212) 267-RAPE (7273), Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477), or, for Spanish, 1 (888) 57-PISTA (74782).
One may also submit tips by going to crimestoppers.nypdonline.org; or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) and entering TIP577; or by going to @nypdtips on X.