An off-duty NYPD cop has been cleared of charges accusing him of groping a woman at the Hard Rock Cafe in Yankee Stadium earlier this month, Bronx prosecutors said this week.
Officer Julio Alcantara-Santiago, 38, said the Sept. 11 incident at the Bronx ballpark has nonetheless left a sour taste in his mouth — plus, he’s still serving a 30-day suspension over it.
“Humiliated,” Alcantara-Santiago said in a statement. “I am humiliated by these baseless accusations that were leveled against me when the video surveillance clearly showed that I was completely innocent.
“To be arrested in the precinct where I work every day was beyond demoralizing,” the veteran cop said. “I have been a cop 10 years and I only uphold the law — I don’t break the law.”
Alcantara-Santiago has filed a notice of claim announcing his intent to sue the city for $1 million over the arrest, according to records obtained by The Post.
The notice claims the cop was subjected to “false arrest, false imprisonment, excessive force, assault and battery and denial of a right to fair trial.”
The NYPD on Wednesday declined to comment on the case due to “pending litigation.”
According to police, a 52-year-old woman at the trendy ballpark eatery claimed the off-duty cop touched her breasts and had him arrested for forcible touching and sex abuse — with the department suspending him without pay.
But Alcantara-Santiago said he was escorting his aunt to the bathroom around 11 p.m. when the woman began screaming at him — although he had not touched her.
Julio Alcantara-Santiago has been cleared of charges that he groped a woman at the Hard Rock Cafe in Yankee Stadium. Hard Rock Cafe Yankee Stadium/FacebookBronx prosecutors agreed and dismissed the case Tuesday.
“A thorough investigation by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office that included speaking to witnesses and reviewing body worn camera footage and video surveillance did not yield any criminal charges in this matter,” the office said in a statement.
Alcantara-Santiago’s lawyer, Cary London, said it was a case of mistaken identity.
The Bronx cop said he was still “humiliated by these baseless accusations” after surveillance footage proved his innocence. Charles Wenzelberg /NY Post“Video surveillance pulled that night showed he didn’t do anything wrong,” London said. “Honestly, they should have never arrested him.
“As soon as the DA got the video, it was a quick turnaround,” he added.
