Alameda man charged with molesting 13-year-old after they met on Snapchat

ALAMEDA — Prosecutors here have filed child molestation charges against a 27-year-old man who allegedly sexually abused a 13-year-old boy after the two met on Snapchat, court records show.

Christopher Van Diggelen, of Alameda, was charged with counts of committing a lewd act on a child and one count of arranging to meet a minor to commit a sexual offense, all felonies. He was arrested in last August and remains in Santa Rita Jail in lieu of $165,000 bail, records show.

Police say the alleged victim helped investigators identify Van Diggelen by returning to social media weeks after the molestation and obtaining pictures of his face.

The charges date back to last April, when the 13-year-old boy allegedly reached out to Van Diggelen on Snapchat. The teen told Van Diggelen his age early into their conversations, and later, Van Diggelen sent the boy a shirtless picture, according to police.

The two met at Crab Cove in Alameda, and that’s where Van Diggelen allegedly molested the boy. Weeks later, the boy decided he wanted to report the incident to police, but returned to Snapchat and made contact with Van Diggelen again. He later reported to police that Van Diggelen worked at a Dominoes Pizza, and shared the pictures of Van Diggelen’s face, authorities said.

The boy told authorities he was too scared to stop Van Diggelen during the sexual abuse and that when he protested, asking Van Diggelen if he knew how old the boy was, Van Diggelen replied, “old enough.”

Van Diggelen was arrested Aug. 15, and later admitted “to engaging in lewd acts with the minor,” police said in court records.

A judge is considering a motion to release Van Diggelen without bail while the case is pending. For now, he remains in custody, and prosecutors are opposing his release, court records show.