4 more boys identified as possible molestation victims of Costa Mesa ‘manny’

Laguna Beach police said Thursday that they have identified four more children who may have been abused by a Costa Mesa man who was charged this week with sexually assaulting two boys while babysitting them.

Authorities also are vetting 16 voicemails they received overnight after the arrest of Matthew Antonio Zakrzewski was made public, said Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jim Cota.

The six children identified so far are between 7 and 13 years old, Cota said.

On his professional website, Zakrzewski, 30, describes his role as “babysitter,” “buddy,” “big brother,” “role model” and “mentor” and lists credentials such as LiveScan and background screenings as well as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, lifeguard and TrustLine certifications.

Zakrzewski was charged Tuesday with three felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14 and one felony count of oral copulation of a child younger than 10, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. He also was charged with one felony count of possession of child pornography.

The alleged incidents of molestation are believed to have occurred between December 2017 and February this year, according to court documents.

Zakrzewski pleaded not guilty and has not yet been charged in connection with the four additional children.

Costa Mesa man pleads not guilty to molesting children in his care as a nanny »

Zakrzewski has worked as a nanny — or “manny,” as he refers to himself on his website — for families across Southern California, and authorities suspect that more children might have been abused, said Cota, whose department arrested Zakrzewski on May 17 after he got off an international flight. Authorities did not disclose the airport where the arrest occurred.

Police said they found pornographic images Zakrzewski had taken, as well as content accessed online, on his camera and electronic devices at his home.

Zakrzewski was booked into Orange County Jail with bail set at $1 million.

The investigation of Zakrzewski began this month after a Laguna Beach couple reported to police that they believed Zakrzewski, their babysitter, had touched their 8-year-old son inappropriately, prosecutors said.

During the investigation, Laguna Beach police identified another possible victim, a 7-year-old boy in Los Angeles, authorities said.

Prosecutors said the Laguna Beach couple had hired Zakrzewski through one of several websites where he lists his services.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Cota said. “It’s going to be an extensive investigation. … I don’t see this concluding anytime soon.”

The defendant’s next court date is a May 31 pretrial hearing at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Laguna Beach police at (949) 715-1300.

Sclafani is a Daily Pilot staff writer. Pineda writes for the Los Angeles Times.

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