Bethany parents demand answers after former city employee faces sexual assault allegations

BETHANY, Conn. (WTNH) – Parents like Amy Lestinsky crowded into Bethany’s Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday night demanding accountability after she said they were kept in the dark during the 18-month investigation into an afterschool care worker for sexual assault.

“People who knew them all should be removed from their positions because they are letting our children and our community down,” said Lestinsky, the mother of an alleged victim.

The following video was first broadcast on July 2, 2024.

For Lestinsky, the alleged attack was closer to home than for most others.

“My child could not have been involved if someone had done something and she had been assaulted in my home, in my personal space. So it hurts a little bit more,” Lestinsky said.

Lestinsky said 24-year-old Anthony Mastrangelo babysat her 11-year-old daughter and allegedly sexually abused her. Her daughter was the fifth victim in the warrant.

Mastrangelo was arrested on Tuesday, June 25. He faces nine charges, including three counts of endangering minors, five counts of sexual assault and one count of unlawful sexual contact with a victim under the age of 16.

Lestinsky is also a member of the city’s education board and said Mastrangelo was a substitute teacher at the elementary school.

After the first allegation in 2022, Lestinsky said the superintendent fired him, but he remained an employee of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, which offers afterschool and summer programs for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

She said the Ministry of Education had not been notified.

“The people of this city still had a right to know that someone was being deported,” Lestinsky said. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell us the details, but give the parents the opportunity to ask their children and make their own decision. But you did nothing and swept the matter under the rug.”

The arrest and possible further action were not on the agenda at the scheduled meeting, but First Selectwoman Paula Cofrancesco made it clear that she knew nothing.

“This investigation has taken an appallingly long time and I have not been contacted by anyone since day one,” Cofrancesco said. “I question the state’s actions and am even more disgusted that they did not inform me so I could not inform you.”

News 8 has reached out to the Connecticut State Police and the Department of Children and Families.

DCF confirmed the joint investigation and said no further comment was possible due to confidentiality reasons.

A statement from the state police said: “We have received several inquiries regarding the ongoing investigation into defendant Anthony Mastrangelo. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any further details at this time. Given the nature of this investigation, we ask for the public’s patience and support as we move forward. As more information becomes available, we will post it on CSP News. Our priority at this time is to protect the identities of all reported victims while allowing them the time they need to process and move on from the incidents. Anyone with information regarding the cases known to date or any other incidents is asked to contact Troop I in Bethany.”

“Regardless of what could or could not have been discussed, the families in this town had a right to know something, anything,” Lestinsky said. “So we could talk to our children and protect them because no one else would.”

On Tuesday, the board approved a motion to consider initiating a private investigation.

There is also a petition calling for the city to hold a special meeting to address this incident exclusively, where officials will answer questions and address concerns.

Attorney Ray Hassett, who represents Mastrangelo, issued the following statement to News: “On behalf of my client, we believe that many of the allegations against him are exaggerated and are now being politicized. Given the facts of this case, we are confident that the narrative will change and his innocence will prevail.”

Mastrangelo is scheduled to appear in New Haven Superior Court on July 12.