In another news, In footage shot by the source with his smart phone and reviewed by The Post, Acosta, 54, is seen pulling up to the elementary school on West 186th Street and Broadway on 11 separate occasions since February 2019 – including three times in the past two months – and then opening the trunk and back seat of a black Hyundai Elantra to haul out white plastic bags of trash.
The custodian, who begins his shifts around 6 am, typically looks around to see if anyone is watching, and then cavalierly drops the bags and loose debris at the curb, where the school’s trash is already piled up.
The whistleblower accused Acosta, who makes $133,864 yearly and pocketed nearly $160,000 with overtime in 2021, of being so “cheap” and “obnoxious” that he apparently schleps the trash across three states to save $400 a year.
The tipster said he waited four years because he wanted to pile up enough evidence so that Acosta can’t talk his way out of being disciplined. He alleged Acosta has illegally dumped trash on many other occasions that he didn’t record.
“He thinks he’s untouchable – and that nothing applies to him,” he said. “That’s the kind of air he carries – even on the job.”
Acosta denied any wrongdoing, claiming he was simply relocating garbage from a nearby public school to PS 48. He blurted, “That’s all I have to say” before hanging up.
The whistleblower called his excuse “a blatant lie,” saying it makes “no sense” to haul trash from one school to another in his personal car.
The city Sanitation Department confirmed it collects trash and recyclables at all city schools.
After being shown the videos by The Post, Joshua Goodman, a Sanitation Department spokesman said the agency’s enforcement officers would review them. “An investigation is underway,” he said.
“Illegal dumping is a crime – a theft of public space, and a disrespect of our neighborhoods,” he added.
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