A Long Island driving instructor is facing charges after authorities say he made sexually explicit comments to young students during their driving lessons. Suffolk County police say the case involves male teenagers who were behind the wheel with the instructor when the alleged remarks were made, and investigators believe there may be more victims who have not yet come forward.
Investigators identified the instructor as 66-year-old Joseph Klein. According to Suffolk County police, Klein made sexually explicit and other inappropriate statements to the male students, comments that authorities say occurred over a roughly two-week span rather than in a single lesson.
Police said the alleged conduct took place between July 6 and July 22. Based on that timeline and the accounts gathered, Suffolk County police charged Klein with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, the offense authorities selected to reflect the allegations against him.
Rather than being held, Klein was issued an appearance ticket ordering him to appear in court at a later date. The step allows the case to move forward through the courts while the wider investigation into his conduct continues.
The instructor worked for Elite Driving of Long Island, a program that offers courses in both Nassau and Suffolk counties. According to officials, the operation is affiliated with Ivy League school driver education in Smithtown, tying the instructor to a business that trains teenage drivers across the region.
The investigation began when a family member of one of the victims came forward. That relative made a complaint with Suffolk County police, taking exception to what was happening during the lessons and setting in motion the inquiry that led to the charges against Klein.
Suffolk County police are now urging anyone else who may have been a passenger or student with Klein, or who feels they were a victim, to come forward as part of the ongoing investigation. In the community where the lessons took place, residents reacted with anger and dismay, describing the allegations as a disgrace and voicing concern for young people who were supposed to be learning safely from an adult.