New York cop bought second home 'a few minutes away' from Texas sex abuse victim

A former NYPD officer has been accused of purchasing a property in Texas to be near one of his alleged young victims. Christopher Terranova, 34, who served with the Staten Island police, is now facing federal charges related to four boys, two of whom he allegedly coerced into sexual activities , according to recent federal court documents.

The latest accusations center on a Texan teenager, who was 15 when Terranova allegedly began targeting him, claim the authorities in a court filing on Friday, as reported by New York Daily News.

Terranova is said to have met the boy through social media platforms, persuading him to send indecent images via Snapchat and perform sexual acts during Facetime calls, the prosecutors assert.

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The ex-officer is also accused of making multiple trips to Texas for sexual encounters and "even purchased a second home in Texas that was a few minutes away from [the teen's] residence at the time," the filing detailed.

The feds claim that he contacted one of his victims, a 15-year-old boy who was robbed on Staten Island in March 2023, after finding the teen's details in an NYPD database which included his mobile number.

"Hey.... it's Chris Terranova the cop you met at the 121 that day with mom, i just wanted to reach out to see if you were doing ok after the incident , I hate seeing these things happen to good Guys like yourself," he texted the boy.

The boy's parents knew him from their local area and encountered him at the 121st Precinct in Graniteville when they went to report the crime , allege the feds.

Terranova then initiated a social media conversation with the teenager, directing the discussion towards sex and pornography, and eventually sent an explicit photo of himself, writing, "See it's nothing. Your turn," according to federal allegations.

The abuse reportedly occurred from December 2019 to September 2022. Terranova, who became an NYPD member in 2011, was initially detained in May 2023 on Staten Island, facing state allegations of disseminating indecent material to minors and harmful conduct towards a child under 17.

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His legal woes escalated thereafter, with additional charges laid in July and a federal indictment in December. Following his arrest, authorities discovered a locked safe in his home containing information about the Texas victim - photographs, personal details, and letters, according to federal allegations .

In total, he faces charges related to four young boys, including the teen from Texas . Last month, Terranova's lawyer submitted a motion to have the charges dismissed for three of the four teenagers, arguing that the federal authorities lack jurisdiction because the alleged acts do not impact interstate commerce.

"We moved to dismiss three of the four charges in the original indictment on the grounds that conduct that occurred purely in Staten Island had no federal nexus," he said.

"The government responded by adding two new charges involving a fourth minor. Chris denies engaging in any illegal conduct. We are reviewing the government's response and will reply appropriately."

Terranova was suspended after his arrest. He left the force in September, according to an NYPD spokesperson. He remains held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn .

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