NEWS

Yorktown teacher charged with child porn killed in apparent hiking accident

Richard Liebson
rliebson@lohud.com
Jeffrey Whalen

GARDINER - A Yorktown school band teacher who was arrested on child pornography charges in October was killed in an apparent hiking accident at Mohonk Preserve in Ulster County on Saturday, police said.

Jeffrey Whalen, 45, of Yorktown Heights, was pronounced dead at the bottom of a 150-foot cliff on the Millbrook Trail at about 3 p.m. state police from the Highland Barracks confirmed on Sunday. A trooper who would not give his name said the death was being investigated as an accident. He referred questions to Troop F headquarters in Middletown, where a  dispatcher said no other information was being released.

In an email sent to parents Sunday, Yorktown Schools Superintendent Ralph Napolitano wrote that it was with "sadness and a heavy heart that I notify you of the news of the accidental passing of Mr. Jeffrey Whalen which occurred yesterday after a tragic fall while hiking.  We will have a crisis team available to deal with any of our students who are in need of our support. Please keep the Whalen family in your thoughts and prayers."

News outlets in the area reported that two hikers called 911 after hearing a crashing noise along the side of the cliff. The reports said Whalen apparently had been taking photographs as he hiked alone.

A band teacher at Crompound Elementary School, Whalen was arrested Oct. 27 on felony counts of possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child and promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child after an investigation by the Westchester County District Attorney's High Technology Crime Bureau. He was accused of possessing and sharing an obscene video of a child that appeared to be between 8 and 10 years old around Aug. 27 on an online file-sharing network, according to the complaint.

Whalen, who'd been at the school district for 20 years, was immediately placed on administrative leave. His arrest prompted frustration and concern among lohud readers.

Whalen was free without bail. His court case was pending, according to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.

Twitter: @RichLiebson