Police Arrest Man Caught On Video Attempting To Abduct 13-Year-Old Long Island Girl Who Fought Him Off
Police arrested a Long Island man after a surveillance camera captured the disturbing moment he attempted to adduct a 13-year-old girl, who desperately fought him off and escaped.
On July 2, the unidentified girl was walking home from Lawrence Road Middle School, where she attends summer school, when she noticed a man following her. The child said she had never seen the man before and felt uneasy about his presence, reported PIX11.
"I was thinking, why not let him go in front of me because there was something strange about him," she said.
Once the girl began approaching her home, the man started to chase her. At one point, the man grabbed the girl from behind and put his hand over the victim’s mouth, police told PIX11.
Police provided footage of the attempted kidnapping.
In the surveillance footage, the teen fought to escape the man’s grasp. Although she initially gets away, the man grabs her again and tries to drag her behind parked cars. The teen eventually fights the man off and is able to run to her home and bang on the door.
A family member is then seen confronting the alleged abductor on the home's lawn. That's when the man fled on foot toward Nassau Road, authorities said.
After the incident, the 13-year-old girl and her mother spoke with PIX11.
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"He was trying to take me somewhere or something like that," said the girl.
Police told reporters the man never uttered a word during the attack and it remains unclear if he said anything to the family member who confronted him.
On the afternoon of July 3, Nassau County police revealed they arrested a man in connection with the attempted abduction. Charges are pending against the suspect and police have not yet released his name.
"What she did was very brave," Nassau County police Detective Mike Bitsko told ABC7 NY. "This individual, this 13-year-old girl, was very brave. She fought off this individual. She fought off her attacker, and in a situation like this, she did exactly what she had to do. And at this point in time, I'm happy she's doing well. And I'm happy that we were able to apprehend this individual."
On Wednesday, school administrators provided extra security at the middle school and warned other students to be cautious.
"Students should be walking with other students home, be mindful of your surroundings, maybe take out the earbuds," Dean of Academic Services Dr. Andrea Silverstein told ABC7.
Detectives request anyone with information regarding the above incident contact the call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.
