Defendant Jonathan Luna Also Worked as Boy Scout Cubmaster and Camp Counselor, YMCA Afterschool Counselor, Among Other Jobs Involving Children
DA’s Child Abuse Unit Urges Concerned Parents Whose Children May Have Had Contact with Luna to Call 212-335-4308
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the sentencing of JONATHAN “JAY” LUNA, 34, to 12 years in state prison with 13 years of post-release supervision for sexually abusing a child for approximately six years while he was employed as that child’s babysitter. On May 30, 2023, LUNA pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to Course of Sexual Conduct in the First Degree.
“Thanks to the bravery of this young survivor who came forward, we were able to hold Jonathan Luna accountable for his horrific crime,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Based on the charged individual’s employment history working with children in afterschool programs and summer camps, we are deeply concerned that there may be additional victims. If your child may have had contact with this individual, I urge you to contact my Office’s Child Abuse Unit by calling (212) 335-4308.”
According to court records and statements made on the record in court, beginning in 2017, while employed as a babysitter, LUNA regularly sexually abused the child in his care from the age of 7 to approximately 11 years old. NYPD Manhattan Child Abuse Squad detectives arrested LUNA on May 19, 2022, after the child disclosed the abuse to their family.
In addition to babysitting, LUNA was employed as:
- an assistant scoutmaster and assistant cubmaster for the Boy Scout Federation of Greater New York from 2007 through the beginning of 2012;
- a camp counselor at the Boy Scout Keowa Summer Camp, located in Sullivan County, New York, during the summer of 2015;
- an afterschool counselor at the McBurney YMCA Afterschool Program at PS 41 in Greenwich Village from 2013 through 2016;
- a camp counselor at Camp Wayne for Boys in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, from 2016 to 2017;
- and an afterschool counselor at the Imogen Foundation at PS 340 in Chelsea from March 2022 through May 2022.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s Child Abuse Unit and the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit continue to investigate these allegations and have specially trained professionals who can speak to children and their families in a child-friendly setting. Any parents who are concerned that their children may have had any contact with LUNA should call the D.A.’s Office’s Child Abuse Unit at 212-335-4308. The Office highly recommends that parents consult with our prosecutors or other child advocacy experts before speaking with their children about the possibility of a crime.
Assistant District Attorney Rachel Schorr handled the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Chloe Kendall (Deputy Chief of the Child Abuse Unit) and Heather Buchanan (Chief of the Child Abuse Unit), and Executive Assistant D.A. Justin McNabney (Chief of the Special Victims Division).
Defendant Information:
JONATHAN “JAY” LUNA
New York, NY
Convicted:
- Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the First Degree, a class B felony, 1 count
Sentenced:
- 12 years in state prison
- 13 years post-release supervision
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