Manhattan dad accused of sexually harassing nanny candidates

Jan 31, 2024

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An Upper West Side dad allegedly harassed young women who applied for nanny and babysitting gigs, with one accuser claiming he asked her for oral sex during the job interview.

The 27-year-old from Thailand said her March 8 meeting with Jason Kuperman, 43, at his West 58th Street apartment left her terrified.

"Please avoid this man at all costs or anyone who seems like they might want to take advantage of you," a friend of the woman posted on Facebook parent and nanny groups after the encounter.

The prospective nanny, who only wanted to be identified by her first name, Dawan, told The Post she was alone in the apartment with the married Kuperman and he took her on a tour of the one-bedroom pad. She said the job was to pay $20 an hour to watch his 1-year-old daughter.

While in the bathroom, she said, he showed her a cushion and remarked it would be good for performing oral sex and asked, "Do I like blow job? Have I ever done that or not?"

She didn't answer. She said he later asked again, "You don't do the blow job?" and then, "asked me will I do it or not."

"I said ‘No, I don't do it.’ "

The frightened Dawan then began secretly recording Kuperman with her phone. She provided the alleged recording to The Post.

On it, as she was about to leave, she demanded to know why he asked her such an inappropriate question.

"It's like cleaning closet, doing laundry … You don't have to. I was just [asking] a question. You don't have to," he said, according to the alleged tape.

Dawan, who can be heard on the tape struggling to unlock the apartment's door, reported the encounter to the police. The NYPD confirmed it received a complaint about a woman being asked for sex on a job interview at Kuperman's address. No other men live at that address, records show.

Several women who read the Facebook warning about Kuperman — who appears to have once worked as a financial analyst — came forward last week to allege similar experiences.

"I am part of a Brazilian group for babysitting gigs in the city and 3 girls said the same thing. They were scared to say something or go to the police because of immigration status," one wrote.

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A woman in Brazil said in a post to a Facebook group that she exchanged messages with Kuperman about a possible job in which he told her she was too beautiful and he wouldn't be able to control himself.

Kuperman was a member of at least one of the Facebook groups. After the allegations were posted he apparently deleted his Facebook profile.

A 22-year-old Manhattan resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity told The Post she worked for the family for about a month during the summer and Kuperman made inappropriate comments, including that she was "too hot to be a nanny."

"On my last day, the dad grabbed my ass in front of the mom. That was my final straw," she said. She said she quit by text the next day, in early September, but Kuperman kept trying to get in touch with her.

"I’m totally happy for you that you found a better job. No hard feelings at all … No need to ghost or block. I’m happy for you. I’d love to stay on good terms," he wrote on Oct. 7, according to an alleged message seen by The Post.

When asked about Kuperman grabbing the sitter, his wife, Sara Freizer Kuperman, said, "All I can say is that none of this is true."

Another woman, a 21-year-old from Manhattan, said she exchanged messages with Kuperman about a babysitting job and asked to meet him in a public space for the interview rather than this home, as he requested.

"It sounds like you are scared and immature so let's just forget it," he responded, according to a text seen by The Post.

The woman told The Post that "I take precautions like this because I’m no match for a grown man once I go behind that closed door. I immediately got such a bad feeling and did not go through with the position despite my desperation and rent to pay."

Kuperman, in a statement, called the allegations from the women "completely and categorically false."

"Some are from people I never even met. Others are from people who texted me after their interview saying how nice it was to meet and hope to work with me soon. I feel terrible if I unintentionally made anyone feel uncomfortable by a misunderstood comment or bad attempt at humor. And as a father to a daughter myself I fully support equality and our shared social responsibilities. Although these allegations are untrue, I will take this as an opportunity for reflection on how I can pursue a more active role in working to make our society better for my daughter's future," he said.

His wife said "These allegations are false. Jason is a loving husband and a fantastic father."