Pinoy charged with endangering welfare of child in New York; suspect denies allegation

NEW YORK - A Filipino was charged with endangering the welfare of a child under the age of 17 after being arrested by New York Police Department (NYPD) detectives in New Springville, Staten Island, New York City on April 3.

The arrest came after he allegedly attempted to meet with a young girl.

The suspect, identified by the NYPD as 43-year-old Glennon Salvador Payabyab, pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge at the Richmond Criminal Court.

On Monday, March 31, the mother of the 12-year-old girl reported to the NYPD’s 121st Precinct a series of text exchanges between her daughter and Payabyab, who is their neighbor.

According to court documents, Payabyab sent the girl at least 20 text messages between Monday and Thursday, during which he allegedly tried to arrange a meeting with her.

Through mobile verification, NYPD detectives confirmed that Payabyab owned the number used to send the text messages.

With the help of the Protect Our Child organization and NYPD detectives, authorities monitored the meeting location. When Payabyab arrived at the scene to allegedly meet the girl, he was immediately arrested by police.

In a statement, Payabyab’s attorney, Kyle Peter, said his client strongly denies the accusations.

“These are deeply troubling allegations, but they are mere allegations that Mr. Payabyab vehemently denies. Mr. Payabyab is a respected member of the community with no criminal history or prior accusations of wrongdoing," Peter said.

The court released Payabyab under non-monetary conditions, but also issued a temporary order of protection prohibiting the accused from contacting the victim in any form.

The court has scheduled Payabyab's next appearance on June 3, 2025. —KG, GMA Integrated News