Phila. firefighter convicted in '06 child-luring incident named as defendant in civil suit

A Philadelphia woman who claims she was traumatized by a luring incident involving a city firefighter back in 2006 when she was a minor has filed a civil complaint against the man in state court.

Veronica Lorenzo, who currently resides in Center City, Philadelphia, claims in her lawsuit that the defendant, Kevin Matthew Markey, abused his authority when he attempted to lure her into his personal vehicle during a Nov. 14, 2006, incident in Northeast Philadelphia.

Lorenzo, who was 15 years old at the time, had been waiting for the school bus when she encountered Markey around the area of Rising Sun and Chew avenues.

According to the complaint, Markey, who was in his pickup truck at the time, honked his horn and waved at Lorenzo, but the girl declined to respond because she didn’t recognize him.

Markey then followed the young teenager, reportedly saying, “Come on, Come over here, I’ll take you to school, we can have some fun on the way to school,” the lawsuit states.

Lorenzo rebuffed Markey’s advances, but the defendant was defiant, eventually stopping his vehicle, getting out, and attempting to coerce Lorenzo to join him in the truck, according to the lawsuit.

Markey eventually approached Lorenzo and asked her to trust him because he was a firefighter, pleas that were again met with resistance by the young teen.

“Defendant, after being refused repeatedly, got closer to where she [Lorenzo] sat on a median near a lamp post and reached out as if to shake her hand, but grabbed her wrist and forearm, and made personal remarks about how she was ‘young but looked sexy,’” the complaint states. “As he grabbed and pulled on her arm, he continued to attempt to coerce her, saying: ‘Come on, Come in the car, It’s okay, I promise I won’t bite; you can trust me, I’m a firefighter.’”

Markey eventually retreated to his car and took off.

Lorenzo called 911, and the arriving police officers recognized Markey’s description arising out of a previous police encounter with man, the suit states.

Police descended upon the home where they knew Markey lived due to the prior encounter and arrested the defendant.

Markey was eventually convicted of luring a child into a motor vehicle and he was ordered to register with the state as a sex offender, according to the complaint.

As a result of Markey’s actions, Lorenzo suffered both physical and emotional harm, the lawsuit claims, including contusions and bruising on her arm, severe emotional distress and pain and suffering related to both.

The civil complaint accuses Markey of negligence, assault and battery and false imprisonment.

Lorenzo seeks compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $50,000, plus interest, costs and other court relief.

Lorenzo also demands a jury trial.

The lawsuit was filed April 20 at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas by Philadelphia attorneys Michael and Celia Ann Rooney of the firm Rooney & Rooney, Attorneys at Law.

 

The case ID number is 120402505.