BOSTON — Prosecutors say they believe additional victims may exist in the case of a former Boston Children’s Hospital nurse accused of sexually assaulting two teenage boys who were under his care.
John Tam, a 33-year-old Hopedale resident who has also worked at three other local hospitals, was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on four counts of indecent assault and battery on a person fourteen years or older and four counts of indecent assault and battery on a patient by a health care provider, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced Friday.
He is expected to be arraigned Monday in Suffolk Superior Court.
One alleged assault occurred on Sept. 19, 2022, after a 15-year-old boy underwent chest surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital, according to prosecutors. The teen had been administered anesthesia during the procedure and later awoke to find his nurse, identified as Tam, allegedly touching his genitals inappropriately.
A second incident allegedly occurred on Jan. 2, 2025, when Boston police responded to Boston Children’s Hospital after receiving a report of a sexual assault involving a teenage patient who had recently undergone surgery and was recovering from anesthesia.
Prosecutors say Tam was responsible for conducting the patient’s post-operative vital sign checks.
During the incident, Tam allegedly instructed the boy’s mother to retrieve her vehicle for discharge. Authorities allege Tam then dressed the patient, took him to the hospital’s first floor, and brought him into a single-stall bathroom even though the teen had not indicated he needed to use the restroom.
According to the indictment, Tam sexually assaulted the patient for about eight minutes, including allegedly fondling the teen’s genitals and offering to display pornographic material on his phone.
Prosecutors say Tam then wheeled the patient outside to meet his mother. When the victim’s mother learned what had allegedly happened, she immediately notified hospital staff.
Investigators later reviewed security camera footage and observed Tam wheeling the patient into a bathroom and exiting approximately nine minutes later, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors are urging parents whose children may have interacted with Tam at Boston Children’s Hospital or his previous employers, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, UMass Memorial Medical Center Worcester campus, and UMass Memorial Medical Center Marlborough campus, to come forward if they suspect any inappropriate conduct.
In response to the allegations against Tam, Boston Children’s Hospital told Boston 25 News in a statement, “Our patients’ and their families’ safety and well-being are our utmost priority, and we continue to cooperate with the investigation and prosecution.”
The case remains under investigation.
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