DA: Westchester Man Tried To Take Sexually Explicit Child Photo

A 50-year-old Pleasantville resident was arrested Tuesday and accused of trying to take a sexually explicit photo of a small child in Port Chester. The incident was captured on a home video camera system, sometimes referred to as a “nanny cam,” Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. said.

John Passaretti is charged with Attempted Use of a Child Less Than 17 Years of Age in a Sexual Performance, a Class D felony. He appeared in Port Chester village court before Village Justice Peter Sisca and was taken into custody.

The resident of Pleasantville and West Palm Beach, Florida, has his next appearance in court scheduled for Monday in Port Chester.

Passaretti was arrested by Port Chester police with the assistance of Pleasantville police, after a complaint was made that he may have photographed a young child in a sexual way. The Westchester County DA’s criminal investigators aided in the technology investigation.

Special Prosecutions Division Assistant District Attorneys Janelle Armentano, of the Domestic Violence/Child Abuse Bureau, and Mary Clark-DiRusso, Deputy Chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau, are prosecuting the case.

The district attorney asked anyone who has information about potential crimes related to this defendant to come forward and notify local police.