Girl, 13, raped by man she met via Snapchat, Suffolk police say
Andrew Ramsaroop, of Queeens, during his arraignment in Central Islip on Saturday on charges of raping a 13-year-old girl. Credit: John Roca
Suffolk County police arrested a Queens man Friday night and charged him in connection with the rape of a 13-year-old girl in Hauppauge earlier this month.
Police said Andrew Ramsaroop, 30, of South Ozone Park, met the girl via Snapchat and then met up with her at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove on May 13. He tried to get the girl and her friend into his vehicle, but they refused, police said.
Police said he met the girl later that day at a playground on Devonshire Road in Hauppauge, where he raped her. The girl later told a school official about the rape, who called police.
Ramsaroop was arrested at 7:40 p.m. Friday and charged with second-degree rape, criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of a child. He was held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and arraigned Saturday at Suffolk First District Court in Central Islip.
Prosecutors said in court Saturday that Ramsaroop drove to Suffolk County looking for sex and knowing the girl was 13. Prosecutors said he admitted to the allegations in a written statement.
Additional charges are possible because Ramsaroop told police he persuaded the girl to send him explicit photos and videos, prosecutors said.
A court-appointed attorney said Ramsaroop had no criminal record.
Prosecutors said Ramsaroop was born in Trinidad and Tobago and posed a high flight risk. A judge set bail at $150,000 cash, $300,000 bond or $1.5 million partial bond.
The court clerk declined to immediately release charging documents or a criminal complaint.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Fourth Squad detectives at 631-854-8452 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
