Award-winning paramedic accused of groping, trying to force woman into sex act on way to hospital, police say

An award-winning FDNY paramedic was accused of groping a woman while driving to the hospital Sunday, April 8, 2018. (Reuters)

An award-winning FDNY paramedic was arrested after a woman accused him of trying to force her to perform a sex act and groping her while on the way to a hospital Sunday.

Karel Delgado, 36, a 10-year veteran with the FDNY and winner of the 2015 Pre-Hospital Save Award, faced the accusations after responding to a Sunday call from a Bronx woman who said she felt ill, NBC New York reported.

The woman says Delgado asked if he could examine her and she gave him consent. However, the woman said Delgado “grabbed her private parts” and “took out his penis and touched her face with it,” a police source told the New York Daily News. The woman told authorities about the alleged incident once they got to the hospital.

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Delgado’s mother, Nancy, told NBC New York he would “never, ever do that.”

“He called me this morning and said, ‘Relax, everything will be OK. I would never do anything like that,’” she told NBC New York.

A neighbor told the Daily News the alleged behavior was uncharacteristic of Delgado, a father of two.

“I don’t believe it. That’s not him. I don’t believe he would do something like that,” the neighbor, who was not identified, told the Daily News. “He has a little girl. She’s well taken care of. I hope it’s not a real accusation. He’s a nice guy. This is the first I hear of it.”

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Delgado could face charges of “sex act, sex abuse and forcible touching.”

Delgado was suspended without pay pending an investigation, ABC 7 New York reported. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.