A 19-year-old Riverside man was arrested after a police officer found him naked in a car with an undressed 14-year-old girl at a Long Island nature preserve.
Victor Elizade, 19, was taken into custody by a Southampton town police officer who discovered the pair while on routine patrol at the David Sarnoff nature preserve in Riverside on Suffolk County’s East End just after 9 p.m. Saturday, according to authorities. The officer reportedly stumbled upon the scene while conducting regular checks of the preserve area.
Elizade was arrested at the scene but was only charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor offense. He was subsequently released with a desk-appearance ticket requiring him to appear in court on a later date, police said.
Police told The Post that officers found “no indication” that Elizade was sexually abusing or had abused the teen. The investigation is now considered closed at this time, authorities said.
The girl’s age and the circumstances of how she came to be with Elizade at the preserve were not immediately disclosed by police. The nature preserve, located in the Riverside section of Southampton Town, is a wooded area that draws visitors for hiking and wildlife observation.
Elizade has had prior run-ins with law enforcement. He was previously arrested in June for alleged aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, according to Riverhead News-Review. Details of that case, including whether it was resolved, were not immediately available.
Attempts by The Post to contact Elizade for comment were unsuccessful. It was not clear whether he had retained an attorney to represent him in the current case.
In the viral moment that prompted coverage, a routine police patrol at a public nature preserve after dark resulted in the discovery of a naked adult male with an undressed minor in a vehicle, leading to an arrest on child endangerment charges despite the absence of sexual abuse allegations. The limited charges and quick release on a desk-appearance ticket drew attention to how law enforcement handled the encounter, with police emphasizing the investigation’s closed status.
Elizade is expected to appear in Southampton Town court on a date to be determined by his desk-appearance ticket.