Officer Mark Mackrell Arrested For Filming Minors At YMCA

Prosecutors said Friday, Aug. 1, that a Coatesville man who works as a part-time police officer is suspected of surreptitiously filming children in bathing suits at a Chester County YMCA.

Mackrell, Mark Edward

Mackrell, Mark Edward

Detectives say that on Tuesday, July 22, Mark Mackrell, 52, of Coatesville, was caught filming young girls at the Brandywine YMCA in East Goshen Township. According to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, Mackrell was arrested on Thursday, July 31, and charged with Photographing a Sexual Act, Stalking, and Unlawful Contact with Minors.

**WARNING THE FOLLOWING IS DISTURBING**

According to the police affidavit, the event was discovered the next morning after a mother complained that her 14-year-old daughter and her 13-year-old friend thought they had been videotaped at the pool. Mackrell allegedly flashed a silver badge and claimed to be a police officer when he was approached, but he denied snapping pictures and refused to identify himself. He was eventually recognized by investigators as a child monitor at the juvenile treatment center Abraxas Academy and a part-time cop with the Millbourne Borough Police Department in Delaware County.

According to his social media accounts, Mackrell, a father and native of Brookhaven, attended St. James Catholic High School in Chester and the Delaware County Community College Police Academy. On July 4, he was at Universal Studios, a well-liked family vacation spot in Orlando, Florida.

Investigators said they discovered numerous zoomed-in images and films of young girls, including close-ups of their genitalia and buttocks, in Mackrell’s erased files, which he initially denied capturing during a voluntary interview. Detectives claimed that during filming, Mackrell’s voice could be heard saying, “Come you can do it, there you go.” The affidavit said that he made sexually explicit statements like, “I’d fuck the shit out of that” in other retrieved film.

According to detectives, Mackrell acknowledged sharing some of the recordings on Snapchat. Subsequent examination of his gadget revealed other pictures from July 2024 that showed at least 11 distinct adolescents, the youngest of whom looked to be about 8 years old.

**WARNING THE ABOVE IS DISTURBING**

Mackrell posted $100,000 bond and was let free. The case will be prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney Erin O. Brien. Anyone with information is urged to call the Westtown-East Goshen Police Department at 610-692-9600 as the investigation is still ongoing.