Teacher held in abuse of autistic girl, 9, in Queens

A Queens special education teacher was arrested for sexually abusing a 9-year-old autistic girl in his class, prosecutors said.

Marc Scheibel is charged with sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly directing the child to touch his genitals and rear during class at Public School 4, a specialized school for children with disabilities.

“The victim in this case is a defenseless child with autism,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz on Thursday. “The defendant — a trusted teacher in our school system — is alleged to have taken advantage of both his position and the little girl’s innocence,” she said.

Scheibel, a 19-year veteran of the city Education Department, was caught on video by another teacher directing the girl’s hands into his crotch under a table Wednesday morning, prosecutors said.

The 48-year-old educator claimed he accidentally touched his privates, authorities said.

Scheibel is suspended, Education officials said.

He appeared before Queens Criminal Court Judge Michael Gaffey Thursday wearing an oversized gray T-shirt and loose fitting gray cargo sweat pants.

Gaffey order Scheibel held on $5,000 bail and ordered him to not to have any contact with the alleged victim.

Scheibel’s attorney, Andrew Stoll, requested his client be placed in protective custody as he waits to make bail.

Mayor de Blasio condemned the alleged abuse as “disgusting.”

“We have to, every single day, try and make sure that people who go into public service are the right people and sometimes they’re missed,” he said. “When that happens, we have to immediately get them out of there and they have to face the consequences.”