Mission Viejo church counselor arrested, accused of molesting child

IRVINE, Calif. (FOX 11) - A Mission Viejo church counselor has been arrested on suspicion of molesting two 8-year-old children.

Police say the lewd acts were committed while the suspect, 19-year-old Nicholas David Cruz, worked as a part-time camp counselor at Mission Viejo Christian Church.

Cruz was arrested at the church and taken to the Orange County Jail. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to Orange County Jail records.

Officials say the mother of one of the 8-year-old victims called the Orange County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, alleging that Cruz had molested her child during a bus ride home from a summer camp outing in Irvine.

Further investigation led police to a second 8-year-old victim, who was allegedly molested during a field trip to Buena Park last Thursday,

Police declined to reveal whether the children are boys or girls. Detectives believe there may be more victims.

Cruz began working at the church in December 2018. During summer, he worked part-time with children between the ages of 8 and 9-years-old. During the previous school year, he worked with children ages 5 to 11-years-old.

Police urge parents who believe their children may have been a victim to contact Detective Mudassar Mahmood at 949-724-7130 or mmahmood@cityofirvine.org.

CNS contributed to this report