Pols Call On LIC Lawmaker To Resign Amid Sexual Assault Allegations

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — New York Assembly Member Juan Ardila faces mounting calls to resign after two women accused him of sexually assault in a new report.

The Long Island City lawmaker was asked to step down Wednesday after the Queens Chronicle reported accusations that Ardila exposed himself and kissed two women while they were intoxicated in 2015.

“I make no excuse for my past behavior and have spent a great deal of time carefully reflecting on this,” Ardila, 29, said in a statement Tuesday.

Lawmakers calling for his resignation include City Council Member Julie Won, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and state Senators Kristen Gonzalez, Julia Salazar and Mike Gianaris.

“The accounts from the women who experienced sexual assault are harrowing and reveal indefensible actions – to which he has admitted,” reads a joint statement from the lawmakers. “While we believe in restorative justice, this process cannot occur while holding a position of power.”

State Committee Member and District Leader Émilia Decaudin, as well as State Committee member and District Leader Nicholas Berkowitz also called for his resignation on Wednesday.

The Queens Chronicle article published Monday did not disclose the identities of the women, who reportedly came forward after Ardila was elected to the Legislature in 2022.

While at a college house party, one of the women said she remembers Ardila touching her extensively and they did not exchange words while that happened. Ardila was also caught dragging her “basically unconscious” from the couch to the bathroom, and then a friend intervened.

Ardila, a former Education department employee, was defeated by conservative Democrat Robert Holden in the 2021 City Council primary election.

In the New York Assembly, Ardila also represents Sunnyside and Maspeth.