A Bronx karate instructor molested two young girls, cornering one of them in the bathroom of his martial arts school, law enforcement sources said Sunday.
Anthony Gonzalez, 37, a teacher at the USA Martial Arts Fitness Academy in Morrisania, abused one of the school’s 6-year-old students Wednesday, according to prosecutors. That led police to find a second young victim he’d been molesting for months, authorities said.
Gonzalez was teaching a class at the Prospect Ave. school Wednesday when the girl asked for a drink of water, sources said.
The instructor leading the class told Gonzalez to help her, so he took her to a bathroom, shut the door, pulled down her karate uniform, and fondled her genitals, sources said.
The girl told her mom that day, and the ensuing investigation revealed he had molested another student several times between November 2015 and June 2017, starting when that child was 5, sources said.
Police arrested Gonzalez on Thursday, charging him with a course of sexual conduct against a child, sexual abuse, forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child.
He was arraigned Saturday and ordered held on $350,000 bail. Gonzalez is due back in Bronx criminal court Wednesday.
The school posted a statement about the allegations on its Facebook page Friday.
“USA Martial Arts Fitness Academy has a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who causes harm to our students, especially our children,” reads the statement, which is attributed to Master Juan Sanchez.
“We take these allegations very seriously and are fully cooperating with the authorities. Safety is our top priority. This community is my life, these children are my family, and I will do everything in my power to ensure they continue to feel safe and empowered.”
