MOHEGAN LAKE, N.Y.—An employee of Shrub Oak International School, which bills itself as “a therapeutic day and residential school for autistic children, adolescents, and young adults with complex co-occurring conditions” was arrested after allegedly obstructing the breathing of a disabled student at the school late last month.
Police identified the employee as 33-year-old Jonathan Merceus of Yorktown. It was not immediately clear what his specific role at the school is or what, if any, disciplinary action the school is taking. He faces charges of criminal obstruction of breathing, a Class A misdemeanor, and first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, a Class E felony.
Yorktown police said the incident occurred Sunday, Oct. 26, at around 5:30 p.m., when officers were called to Shrub Oak International School on Stony Street in Mohegan Lake for a report of suspicious activity. Police said the investigation alleges Merceus obstructed the student’s breathing and found his conduct “likely injurious” to the student’s physical, mental, and moral welfare. The condition of the student was not immediately clear.
In November of last year, school officials alerted police to a similar incident in which then-28-year-old East Fishkill resident Sebastian Borba-Ferreira allegedly shoved and otherwise endangered a disabled student at the school.
Merceus surrendered at the Yorktown Police Department on Thursday, Nov. 13, where he was arrested and processed.
He was arraigned in Yorktown Justice Court and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear again on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m.
Police, in a media release, did not provide additional information about the student or Merceus. Shrub Oak International School did not respond to a request for comment.
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