Green Acres child incident does not warrant arrest, police say

A Jan. 5 incident in which a 35-year-old man reportedly grabbed a child’s hand at Green Acres Mall does not warrant an arrest, Nassau County police said, and the parents of the child are not pressing charges.

The incident, which occurred at 5 p.m. on Saturday, but was not reported until the next day, allegedly involved a man who grabbed a child’s hand, and attempted to walk off with them before being stopped by a family member of the child.

Fifth Precinct detectives said on Jan. 8, however, that after an investigation, they had determined that the incident did not warrant an arrest, and that it was “non-criminal” in nature.

Nassau County Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun told the Herald that after detectives interviewed the man, and reviewed security-camera footage, they had determined that the suspect had not committed a crime, and did not pose a public threat.

Additionally, LeBrun said that although the child’s parents were unavailable for questioning during the investigation, they had declined to press charges.