BAY SHORE, N.Y. (1010 WINS) — A homeless man was arrested on Wednesday night after he locked a young boy in the basement of a mosque in what Suffolk County police described as an attempted kidnapping, officials announced.
It happened during a prayer service at Masjid Darul Quran, located on East 3rd Avenue in Bay Shore, at about 5:45 p.m., police said.
Nelson Priester, 39, allegedly led a 4-year-old boy away from the prayer hall and barricaded him in the basement kitchen.
A worshipper saw Priester walk out with the child, and alerted his grandfather. Multiple people then gathered and tried to gain access to the kitchen through the door, but were unsuccessful.
Police said that one person then climbed into the kitchen through a service window to reach the boy, who was unharmed.
Priester was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Central Islip.