Splish Splash Groping Leads To New Legislation Protecting Kids

RIVERHEAD, NY— After an incident involving young girls reportedly groped at Splish Splash in July, new legislation to protect children at water and amusement parks passed unanimously on Tuesday.

The resolution, sponsored by Suffolk County Legislator Susan Berland, imposes a duty to report criminal conduct at water and amusement parks, Berland said.

The resolution, she said, requires amusement parks and water parks operating in Suffolk County to immediately contact an appropriate law enforcement agency when a criminal act, including sex offenses, occurs on their property.

The resolution was introduced in response to a "troubling incident" that occurred at a Splish Splash, when several girls reported being groped by a group of men in the water park’s wave pool, Berland said.

The water park employees were advised of the incident but failed to immediately notify local law enforcement agencies of the incident and failed to obtain identifying information from the alleged perpetrators before they escorted them from the park, Berland said.

“The safety of our public, and especially that of our children, is of utmost importance,” Berland said. “I want to thank my colleagues on the legislature for their unanimous support of this resolution and for recognizing that as elected officials we owe it to our children to protect them from harm, especially when they are simply spending the day having fun. . . I was troubled by the water park incident and introduced this legislation to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again."

In August, the parents of four young girls police say were "touched inappropriately" while at the Splish Splash water park in Riverhead called for action.

According to Riverhead Police, the incident took place on Aug. 21 at 6:21 p.m. The girls, ages 11 to 13, were visiting Splish Splash with the Huntington YMCA camp when they were "touched inappropriately" by five to seven males in the wave pool at the water park.

"There was an allegation of inappropriate touching," police said.

Christopher J. Cassar, an attorney with offices in Huntington Village and Uniondale, said the parents of the four young girls say they were "sexually assaulted," and spoke at a press event to express "their dissatisfaction with the investigation and/or lack of investigation by the police and Splish Splash," he said.

"Splish Splash takes safety very seriously. We are aware of the incident and are working with the Riverhead Police Department," said Gamini Perera, director of marketing at Splish Splash.

The YMCA also spoke out on the incident.

"The YMCA of Long Island is committed to ensuring the well-being of the youths we serve, at all times. We are confident that our summer day camp staff is dedicated to caring for and protecting all children in our care. In addition, we are fully cooperating with law enforcement and cannot comment on an ongoing investigation," said Tamar Simpson, director of marketing and communications for YMCA of Long Island.

New details later emerged: Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Riverhead Town Police detectives said they were seeking the public's help to identify and help locate five men depicted in surveillance photos and video who were wanted for questioning in connection with the forcible touching investigation.

At a second press event, two moms described what happened to their daughters, explaining that after the incident, the girls told their counselors, who notified security at Splish Splash. The parents allege that security escorted the accused out of the park without identifying them.

And, according to a News 12 post, police and phone records indicate that Splish Splash security did not call the Riverhead Police Department until a half hour after the mother reported it to the police – more than an hour after it took place.

At the second press event, Cassar said the parents of the four girls were very grateful that the video had been released to the public and the hope was that someone will come forward to identify the men.

One mom said she received a call from a camp counselor, telling her that her daughter was "sexually touched in an inappropriate area." She was asked if she wanted to press charges, and she said "yes."

The mom, who asked not to be identified to protect her daughter, said she asked to speak to security, who told her that they were under no obligation to take names and they did not feel that it was necessary to call the police; the men, they said, had been escorted out of the park.

The girls, at that point, were already on the bus back to camp; the mom called Riverhead Police, who told her they'd have the bus turn around and meet a police officer, she said.

The distraught mother said she drove to Riverhead where she met with Splish Splash personnel, who'd told her they had done everything required.

"I said, 'What's to stop them from coming back?'" She said she was told, "Ma'am, we can't stop anybody from going anywhere."

Outraged, the mom continued: "This is a park for young children? Is children's safety not a priority? I took my daughter home in tears."

The mom said she believes a crime was committed. Her daughter, 11, pointed out the person who'd groped her. "Nobody thought to call the cops? Nobody helped her. They just let them walk out. No one cared. No one called the police," she said.

And she questions why the camp counselors, too, did not insist that the men be detained.

Her daughter, the mom added, was having nightmares and not sleeping.

Describing what happened, she said her daughter was in the wave pool, where a buzzer sounds before the next wave hits. A friend told her daughter that a man had touched her, she said. Then, she added, the buzzer went off again, the wave came in, and "a man grabbed my daughter's chest, to the point where she had to pry his hand off of her in order for him to let go."

The men involved, the mom said, were in their 20s or 30s. "My daughter said one had gray on the side of his hair. We are not talking about young kids or young adults. These are grown men, and yet they were just escorted out of the park and not asked for ID?" she said.

The second mother said her daughter was 13; she felt there was lots of blame to go around.

"No one person dropped the ball. There has to be some protocol," she said. She also said she feels the police officer was "dismissive, downplaying" the incident. "Someone should be held accountable," she said.

"The park, intentionally, does not have cameras in the wave pool area in an effort to avoid accountability for such incidents," a mother of one of the girls said, according to a News 12 report. "The wave pool is a pedophile's paradise and Splish Splash is ensuring that it stays that way."

Cassar said Splish Splash had a legal obligation to call the police. The hope was to identify the men and "make sure the police investigation is done thoroughly and adequately," he said.

Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller responded: "We're taking it very seriously. We want this resolved as much as they do." He said it took some time before police were notified after the incident. "We are not being dismissive. We are not downplaying this. We all have children and none of us would want this to happen to our children," Hegermiller said.

RELATED: Girls Groped At Splish Splash; Parents Want Action

When asked why police were not notified sooner, a representative for Splish Splash responded by sending a new statement: "Splish Splash is one of the world's finest and safest water parks," the statement read. "We are working closely with the Riverhead PD on the investigation regarding the accusations by a guest visiting on Aug. 21."

According to Perera, the guest was with her YMCA day camp when she reported to her counselor that she was touched inappropriately in the wave pool. The counselor of the Huntington YMCA group approached park staff and stated that one of her minor female campers had reported being inappropriately touched in the wave pool, he added.

"Splish Splash contracts with Titan Security and they were on scene within minutes. Titan Security interviewed the YMCA counselor and minor girl for more information," the statement said. "The girl claimed that she was inappropriately touched by a group who were playing with a soccer ball, but did not see anyone's face to identify them. The girl was also unable to relay any information about how she was inappropriately touched."

Neither the YMCA counselor, nor any of Splish Splash's five on duty wave pool lifeguards, saw any inappropriate behavior, Perera said. "The YMCA camp counselor was asked by Titan Security if she would like for the police to be called. The YMCA counselor declined. She also stated that the parents didn't need to be called because they were leaving the park soon. The YMCA counselor did, however, ask that Titan Security walk with her and the complaintant girl."

In the vicinity near where the alleged incident took place a group matching the "limited description" were approached for questioning by Titan Security, Perera said.

"The YMCA counselor again emphasized that she did not want police called and that they would be unable to positively identify the group. The counselor merely requested that the park eject the young men. Titan Security complied with the YMCA counselor's request. They escorted the young men to the lockers, watched them gather their belongings and escorted them off property without incident," he said.

And, the statement continued: "Splish Splash takes guest complaints very seriously — especially those where minors claim they have been inappropriately touched. Our team truly cares about our guests and ensuring the safest, happiest experience. In this instance, one guest made a complaint and the security team took direction from the girl's guardian. Splish Splash and its vendor, Titan Security, acted responsibly, thoughtfully and with care. The facts did not warrant any further action."

It's not the first time a groping incident has taken place at Splish Splash: In 2016, a 30-year-old man grabbed the breasts of a girl under the age of 14 in the Splish Splash wave pool, according to a Riverhead News-Review report. He pleaded guilty to sexual abuse.

Wave pool photo of Splish Splash in a prior year by Lisa Finn.