A 53-year-old San Jose resident and director of education at a non-profit science museum and zoo in San Mateo was caught in a vigilante child sex sting late Tuesday night.
Carl Oosterman, who has worked at CuriOdyssey since 2004, was confronted around 10pm July 6 after arranging to meet up with someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy from Los Angeles visiting the South Bay for the holiday weekend, according to a video posted to YouTube.
Screenshots of messages provided to San Jose Inside indicate that Oosterman asked the boy about his past sexual history, if he was looking for older guys and what he would be comfortable doing that night, from cuddling to sex. He said he “didn’t mind” the minor’s age.
The 53-year-old’s last message said, “This feels kinda wrong.”
A video of the confrontation, during which Oosterman admits his intentions for the evening, was posted to the video sharing site by CC Unit. The California group—short for “Creep Catch”—has the stated objective of protecting children from online predators by posing as minors and videotaping adults who show up expecting an illegal sexual liaison. As of Friday evening, the 10-minute clip had gathered more than 25,000 views.
According to Ghost, the anonymous San Diego resident who started CC Unit in 2018, Oosterman first contacted a “decoy” account on Grindr, a popular dating app primarily for gay men, before the two planned to meet up at a nearby Target and head to Oosterman’s South San Jose home.
“I just don’t want someone like him to work with kids ever again,” Ghost told San Jose Inside, adding that the stings have previously led to arrests. “He’s a danger to society.”
Attempts to reach Oosterman for comment were unsuccessful, and checks of inmate databases at Santa Clara County and San Mateo County jails didn’t turn up a record of his name.
CuriOdyssey’s educational staff bio page was edited Friday—no longer listing Oosterman as Director of Education. According to earlier versions of the site, Oosterman “manages our year-round youth leadership development program” and also worked as “community programs supervisor at Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District and senior program director for youth, teen and family programs at Bay Area YMCAs.”
Information pulled from the museum’s website and past news coverage showed Oosterman’s job at the museum and zoo involved extensive contact with children, including leading educational camping trips.
Formerly known as Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education, CuriOdyssey published a statement to its Facebook and Instagram accounts Friday, saying one of their employees had been placed on administrative leave during an internal investigation into the incident and staff contacted the “appropriate authorities.”
“We cannot provide additional details at this time as we are still learning more of the facts regarding the situation,” the statement said. “We can assure you that in the handling of this matter, we will be guided by our mission and values, the first of which is integrity: We do what’s right.”
I dont think he did it. Wasn’t him.
Very disgusting individual
If you’re 18 or older…
STOP TRYING TO DIDDLE KIDS. STOP FANTASIZING ABOUT IT. CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF.
This article is not factual at all. This d list publication is posting info from d list wanna celebrities. Shame on you for poor journalism. This is a tabloid.
I would think habitable reliable sources is the number one rule of journalism. Are you that desperate for stories, Katie? Yikes. You are a disgrace.
Bryan Cohn. Every thing you just said is a disgrace. The entire video is on YouTube. He admitted his guilt. Everything Katie said is 100% correct and verifiable. Please do a little research before you attack someone’s integrity. You only succeeded in making a fool of yourself. Best wishes.
Nice Try Bryan,
Your buddy Carl clearly admitted his guilt on video. He spilled his guts before he ran off like a bitch. This article is 100% accurate. GO WATCH the video before you make stupid comments.
Bryan you should help your buddy get some therapy help and stop making excesses for him or defend his disgusting and illegal actions.
Try watching the video where hes caught pedo defender
These stings ARE NOT vigilantism. CC Unit and other CC groups are not breaking the laws. As a citizens they even have the right to make a citizens arrest if they want to, but they don’t. Confronting someone and calling the police on them IS NOT vigilantism. There are no laws that says you can’t decoy someone on-line. I have yet to see anyone get arrested for doing what CC Unit does…
This is such a shame. It’s like a nightmare to see someone I know is engaging in this behavior, particularly given their outward professional commitment to youth education.
Carl is a charismatic, intelligent, funny, attractive man who seemed to be able to get what he wanted out of life … it’s beyond not okay that it included potentially screwing around with a minor instead of an adult. I’m just sad. It’s devastating to know this dark side. I hope he gets help.
Ferns, he positioned his life to be around teenagers snd children. Who knows how many teenage boys he has assaulted or harassed. At minimum, he deserves to be fired. Someone like that shouldn’t be around young people.
Carl Oosterman is presumed innocent. No court has declared him guilty of anything. There is no need for social media to simply rush to a conclusion here. Let the court system work on this matter and time will tell what happened on this matter. — Javier Rios, San Jose Criminal Defense Attorney. https://sjdefender.com/