A man grabbed an 11-year-old girl around the waist and pulled her in a Staten Island stairwell during an attempted kidnapping, police said Sunday.
The girl was able to escape the Saturday afternoon attack and the man, who she didn't know, ran away, the NYPD said.
Michael Gordan, 46, of Staten Island, was arrested Sunday, police said. He was charged with kidnapping, acting in a manner to injure a child and assault.
Police said Gordan had a long criminal history, including 22 prior arrests, mostly for drug offenses. It wasn't clear whether he had an attorney.
The girl was at the building on Broad Street in the Clifton neighborhood for a birthday party, witnesses said. The girl was among a group of children in the hallway when she was grabbed.
The man ripped off her coat and hat in the struggle before she got away, the witnesses said.
