A bizarre case out of New York City has drawn national attention after a 28-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly impersonating a 16-year-old high school student and attending classes for approximately two weeks.
Kacy Claassen, originally from Hays, Kansas, was taken into custody on April 27 at Westchester Square Academy in the Bronx’s Throggs Neck neighborhood. According to authorities and the criminal complaint, she enrolled at the public high school on April 13 under the false identity of “Shamara Rashad,” born March 8, 2010, claiming she had recently moved from Ohio to live with her sister.
School officials issued her a student ID with the fake name, and Claassen reportedly blended into daily routines while attending classes. Suspicion eventually arose among staff and students, prompting the principal — identified in reports as Marques Rich — to investigate further.
The discovery came swiftly through open social media: the principal reportedly located Claassen’s real Facebook profile, which included her actual name, age, photos, Kansas connections, and mentions of her daughter. When confronted with screenshots on April 27, Claassen admitted the deception, stating, “I’m not Shamara Rashad. I’m not 16 years old,” and revealing her real birthdate of July 29, 1997.
Per the complaint, she told authorities that a friend had convinced or pressured her into the scheme in order to collect additional public assistance benefits. Police responded to the school, resulting in a brief lockdown as she was arrested without incident. A student ID bearing her photo and the alias was recovered from her backpack.
Claassen faces charges including criminal impersonation in the second degree, trespassing, and, in some reports, endangering the welfare of a child. She was arraigned shortly after the arrest, pleaded not guilty, and was released. She is due back in court in mid-June 2026.
Public records and social media tie Claassen to Hays, Kansas. In the wake of her arrest, she has spoken about fleeing an abusive marriage, periods of homelessness and unemployment, time spent in a psychiatric ward, and struggles with an eating disorder. She is also a mother who has navigated custody issues with her young daughter. Some who knew her previously have raised questions about possible coercion or other vulnerabilities.
The unusual story — which some have compared to the premise of films like Never Been Kissed, albeit with alleged fraud elements — spread rapidly online and drew coverage from multiple New York outlets. The New York City Department of Education has noted that such enrollment fraud cases are taken seriously.
Court proceedings will continue to determine the full details. No additional arrests related to the reported benefits scheme have been publicly announced as of now.
