Overview

• Shoreham–Wading River schools removed the Wading River Elementary teacher from duty and barred him from campus after the video surfaced.
• Long Island Predator Poachers recorded and posted the confrontation, saying the messages targeted a decoy account posed as a 13-year-old.
• District leaders notified families and said they will cooperate with law enforcement as the investigation proceeds.
• Suffolk County Police confirmed they are investigating and declined to provide further details at this stage.
• Coverage situates the episode in a wider pattern of vigilante 'pedophile hunter' operations that raise legal and safety concerns, with the New York Times reporting more than 170 violent incidents since 2023.