Parents Suing NFL Stadium Employee Accused of Pulling Down 8-Year-Old’s Pants In Bathroom 

The parents of an 8-year-old boy have filed a lawsuit alleging that a stadium employee attempted to sexually assault their son inside a bathroom during a Houston Texans home game last month.

The civil complaint, filed Jan. 12 in Harris County, Texas, accuses Ushay Marquise Nixon, 21, of pulling down the child’s pants and attempting to molest him during the Texans’ Dec. 14 game against the Arizona Cardinals at NRG Stadium, according to USA TODAY, Houston Public Media and Click2Houston.

Nixon, Aramark Sports and Entertainment Services of Texas, LLC, and ASM Global Parent Inc. are named as defendants, Houston Public Media reported.

According to court records cited by the outlets, the boy was attending his first NFL game with his family. During the third quarter, his mother escorted him to a men’s restroom and waited outside while he went in alone. When he came out, she noticed him adjusting his pants.

As the family headed back to their seats, a bystander approached the boy’s mother and said he had seen her son with an adult employee inside the restroom and that the interaction “didn’t look right,” according to the lawsuit cited by the outlets.

After his parents questioned him, the boy said a man had pulled down his pants.

The boy’s father returned with him to the restroom, where the child identified Nixon as the alleged attacker. Nixon then allegedly ran and hid inside a storage closet before police apprehended him, according to court records cited by USA TODAY.

In a forensic interview with Houston police conducted days later, the boy said the man instructed him to enter a restroom stall. Inside the locked stall, the man allegedly pulled down the child’s pants and underwear and then lowered his own clothing, prompting the boy to flee, according to court documents cited by USA TODAY and Click2Houston.

Surveillance footage later showed a man alleged to be Nixon — wearing a purple polo shirt — entering and exiting the restroom around the time of the alleged incident, according to court records cited by USA TODAY and Click2Houston.

Per Click2Houston, Nixon later told police he had been working restroom duty that day and asked the boy if he wanted to see his Pokémon card collection, but the child became scared and ran away, USA TODAY reported.

Harris County court records cited by the outlets show Nixon is charged with felony indecency with a child and felony attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14. He remains jailed in Harris County while awaiting a scheduled court hearing on Feb. 5.

His criminal defense attorney could not be reached for comment at press time.

The boy’s mother told USA TODAY that her son has been experiencing night terrors since the incident and has asked questions such as, “Why did God let this happen to me?”

“I feel I failed,” the child’s father told Click2Houston. “I know there was nothing else I could do. I did everything that you think is right, but you’re supposed to protect your children and that day I failed.”

The family’s attorney, Anna Greenberg, said in a statement that the child went to his first NFL game expecting excitement and joy “and instead he was targeted by an employee who never should have been allowed anywhere near children,” Houston Public Media reported.

The lawsuit alleges Aramark was negligent in hiring Nixon and claims both Aramark and ASM Global failed to provide a safe environment at NRG Stadium.

Court records cited by Houston Public Media and Click2Houston show Nixon had previously been charged in 2022 with indecency with a child and indecent assault, though those charges were later dismissed.

In a statement, Aramark said it is aware of the “very disturbing situation,” confirmed Nixon is no longer employed by the company, and said it is fully cooperating with authorities, Houston Public Media and Click2Houston reported. ASM Global did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Houston police have asked anyone with information about the case to contact the department’s Special Victims Unit.