Former Bethany Parks & Rec Employee Charged With Sexual Assault

BETHANY, CT — A former parks and rec employee in Bethany is accused of sexually assaulting multiple young girls. Angry parents showed up at a town meeting Tuesday to demand accountability, NBC CT reported.

Anthony Mastrangelo, 25, was arrested on four warrants June 25, according to state police.

He was charged with three counts of risk of injury to a minor, four counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault, and illegal sexual contact with a victim under 16 years old.

Mastrangelo was released on a total of $500,000 bond and scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court on July 12, state police said.

The alleged assaults happened when he was an intern and a counselor with the town's parks and recreation program. An investigation began in December 2022, according to NBC CT.

Parents of victims and others said at a town meeting Tuesday night that they should have been notified much sooner about the investigation, WFSB 3-TV reported. Some called for town leaders to step down.

The Select Board will search for an independent investigator to examine how the town responded to the claims, according to WFSB 3-TV.

Mastrangelo's attorney told NBC CT that the charges against him are "exaggerated" and that they are confident "his innocence will prevail."

Read the full story at NBC CT and WFSB 3-TV.