A Fresh Meadows man was sentenced to seven years in prison for attempting to kidnap a 5-year-old boy in Richmond Hill in July 2021, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday.
James McGonagle, 27, of Parsons Boulevard, pleaded guilty in Queens Supreme Court in November to attempted kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child for grabbing the child off a sidewalk before his mother and siblings thwarted the abduction.
According to the charges, McGonagle was observed on video surveillance exiting a red Nissan Sentra that had been parked on the street in front of 117-07 Hillside Ave. at around 8 p.m. on July 15, 2021.
He allegedly charged at the 5-year-old victim, picked him up, and tossed him into the back seat of his vehicle. The victim’s 45-year-old mother, Dolores Diaz Lopez, ran towards the Nissan with her two other children, reached inside the opened window, grabbed her son, and attempted to pull him out of the car, according to the charges. McGonagle allegedly clutched the child’s leg from the opposite side of the car and attempted to pull him back into the vehicle.
During the struggle, a male passenger who had been seated in the vehicle was heard asking McGonagle, “What are you doing?” McGonagle allegedly responded, “We are taking the kid.”
Lopez was able to pull her son through the window and out of the car. Seconds later, McGonagle sped off.
McGonagle was arrested on July 16 after he was spotted by police officers inside Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn, where he was being treated for facial injuries, according to the charges. McGonagle was not indicted on a later charge that he assaulted a police officer when he was taken into custody.
“James McGonagle attempted to abduct a 5-year-old child as the victim and his family walked down a Richmond Hill street,” Katz said. “The child’s mother and siblings bravely fought McGonagle off as they rescued the boy from the defendant’s car.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia L. Morris sentenced McGonagle to seven years in prison on Friday, Jan. 10. McGonagle must register as a sex offender upon his release.
“The defendant needlessly terrorized this child, his family and, in fact, the entire community with his reckless behavior,” Katz said. “With this sentence, James McGonagle will face justice for his crimes.”
