A West Boca tennis coach was arrested Friday, accused of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl during a lesson, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Cemal Kaya, 18, is facing one count of sexual battery of a victim under 12 years old and one count of lewd or lascivious exhibition with a victim under 16 years old.
The girl attended a lesson alone with Kaya in West Boca the evening of Jan. 16, when he allegedly took her to an equipment storage area and assaulted her, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When the girl’s parents picked her up, she told one of them that the coach took her to the storage area, told her to close her eyes and that what they were doing was a “secret,” according to the affidavit. The girl repeated the same account to her grandmother on a phone call later in the weekend.
Cemal Kaya, 18, was booked into the Palm Beach County jail on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office/Courtesy)
Kaya denied the girl’s account of what happened. He told a woman who confronted him that he had asked the girl to see the equipment “because he thought she would be curious” and that he offered her a piece of gum, then returned to the court and continued their lesson for another 30 minutes, according to the affidavit.
He was arrested Friday and did not make any statements to deputies, according to the affidavit.
Kaya remained in the Palm Beach County jail as of Monday afternoon.
Authorities ask anyone with information or who also may have been a victim to email Detective V. Skuza at SkuzaV@pbso.org or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-8477.
