Thomas Coe, associate professor and chairperson of finance at Quinnipiac, entered the home to meet a 14-year-old boy who he had been having a sexually explicit conversation with on the app Grindr. To his surprise, members of a popular online organization “POPSquad,” were waiting for him, camera in hand ready to expose him as an internet predator.

The hour-long video, taken Sunday night, was posted to Facebook on Monday. In it, three men hidden behind the cameras explain that the 14-year-old that Coe, 59, was hoping to meet, was actually them posing as the boy.

“POPSquad,” short for “Prey On Predators Squad” is an organization whose mission is to protect children from internet predators.

On their website, it says, “We aim to not only expose these repeat offenders & unknown individuals, but also attempt to ‘get into their minds’ and find some type of answers for their actions & compulsions.”

Coe walked into the house around 10:50 P.M. according to the time stamp on the video.

“What are you doing here this evening?” one “POPSquad” member asked.

“Just looking for some fun,” Coe said.

At first, he is visibly flustered and reluctant to talk to the members of the “POPSquad.”

One member explained that the whole video will be posted to their website. Hearing this, Coe tried to leave and the “POPSquad,” traveled outside with him. They eventually return inside and this is when Coe begins opening up.

He said that he first thought the boy was 18 years old. However, chat logs of the conversation on Grindr were posted at the end of the video tell a different story.

When the 14-year-old boy shared his age with Coe he responded, “Skipped all the checks to start an account…tsk, tsk, so, dumb to ask if you can host.” After finding out the boy’s true age and that he was a minor, Coe continued the conversation, becoming more sexually explicit as the night went on.

When asked if this was his first time talking to minors online, Coe denied it. But the “POPSquad” claimed they talked to him pretending to be another minor “back in June or July.”

“I honestly don’t remember,” Coe said.

Throughout the video, the “POPSquad” asked Coe many questions. They asked if Coe worked around kids, the first time he says no. One member returns to this question further into the video.

“You said you were wrapping up some work for your job posting assignments, are you a teacher of some sorts?,” the “POPsquad” member said.

Coe clarified this time, that he does not work with kids, he works with college students.

When Q30 News reached out to the university for a statement about this video, Lynn Bushnell, vice president for public affairs responded with the following, “This is a personnel matter. He was placed on leave and is not on campus, pending an investigation.”

According to Quinnipiac’s Self-Service program, Coe is teaching three sections of “Financial Statement Analysis,” and is overseeing those who are pursuing a financial internship. He is still listed as teaching an online January term personal finance course and “Decision Making in Global Econ” in Spring 2019.

In the video, the “POPSquad” asked if Coe planned on going to work the next day (Monday).

“I’m supposed to go to work and fly off to Dallas with my boss,” Coe said.

A note on Coe’s office door says that he will be out of the office from November 2 to November 13 traveling to Budapest, Hungary and Dallas, Texas.

Wednesday morning Donna Cretella, secretary to the dean of the school of business, sent out an email to Coe’s 5:00 P.M. section of “Financial Statement Analysis” to say that the day’s class was canceled.

At the end of the video, the “POPSquad” walks with Coe to his car in order to expose his license plates. After speaking to Coe, the “POPSquad” called the police to check on his well being. Bristol Police confirmed to Q30 News that this call was made at 1:43 A.M. to check on his mental state.

We have reached out to “POPSquad” for more information regarding this situation and the process of how they find internet predators. They have yet to get back to us.

We have also extended Thomas Coe the opportunity to comment on this matter, he also has yet to get back to us at this time.

There have been no confirmed statements from the university that Coe is no longer an employee at Quinnipiac.

However, yesterday his office door in the School of Business was cleared.

Associate Dean for the School of Business and Associate Professor of Management and Industrial Engineering, Mary Meixell sent an email to all majors in the School of Business today.

In the email, she wrote, “A situation such as this can bring on emotions that may be challenging to manage.”

She makes several resources available for students who may be seeking confidential counseling or may have questions related to classes.

The following resources are listed in her email:

“Students who are seeking free and confidential counseling should contact Counseling Services at 203-582-8680 to schedule an appointment.

For questions related to classes or academic support, students should contact me, Associate Dean Mary Meixell (203-582-5206 or email [email protected]), or Assistant Dean Mike Taylor (203-582-3949 or email [email protected]).

Finally, the Office of the Dean of Students is available to support students who may be looking for additional resources. Students can call 203-582-8753 or email [email protected] to connect with a staff member.”

Updated 8:49 p.m. November 16, 2018. This article will be updated as new information is released.







