NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A 22-year-old female social studies teacher at Salesian High School in New Rochelle is no longer working at the school after an inappropriate relationship with a young teen boy came to light. The student is said to be a sophomore at the school, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Mariela Barajas was arraigned for disseminating indecent material to a 15-year-old, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced today.
Barajas, 22, of Mount Vernon, was charged on January 24, 2022, in Mount Vernon City Court with Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors in the First Degree, a felony. The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office made the arrest following an investigation, with assistance from the Mount Vernon Police Department and New Rochelle Police Department.
While employed at Salesian High School, in December 2021 and January 2022, Barajas engaged in a series of sexually explicit conversations with the male victim on Instagram and Snapchat, according to investigators. During the conversations, the defendant is said to have sent the victim naked videos of herself engaged in sexual acts.
Barajas is scheduled to appear again in Mount Vernon City Court on February 14.
Mariela Barajas was the subject of an emergency faculty meeting on Friday. Her image and profile was removed from the school website by the end of the day.
A New Rochelle Police Department spokesperson said the NRPD was contacted about Mariela Barajas, but the matter was taken up by the Westchester County District Attorney Investigators due to jurisdictional issues.
“We don’t believe any of the alleged actions (unknown exactly what they were) happened in New Rochelle,” said NRPD Captain J. Collins Coyne.
According to her LinkedIN profile, Barajas graduated from Iona College in 2020 while working as a private tutor for a company hired by the Mount Vernon School District. She worked as a student teacher at Salesian before being hired as a full-time teacher.
School officials at Salesian High School did not respond to requests for comment.
The case is being prosecuted jointly by the Trials and Investigations Division Cyber Crimes Bureau and the Special Prosecutions Division Child Abuse Bureau.
Anyone who has been a victim of the suspect or has further information on this case is asked to contact the District Attorney’s Office at (914) 995-TIPS.
UPDATE: Letters sent to parents and alumni/friends.
