Police: L.I. Man Breaks Into Home, Hits Sleeping Child With Mop

WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Police have arrested a man who allegedly broke into a Long Island home and repeatedly struck a sleeping 8-year-old girl over the head with a mop.

The incident happened at a home on Foster Lane in Westbury around 1 a.m. Friday, police said.

Detectives said Susan Nunez, 34, heard a noise in her home and when she went downstairs to investigate, she found 22-year-old Matthew Levine in her kitchen.

When the woman ran to a neighbor's house to call police, Levine went to an upstairs bedroom where the woman's 8-year-old daughter, Lauryn, was sleeping, police said. He then repeatedly hit the child over the head with a mop, police said.

He also stole the woman's cellphone, police said.

Officers arrived at the scene a short time later and arrested Levine in the home.

The child suffered a minor head injury, but refused medical attention, police said.

Nunez told CBS 2's Emily Smith that she wished she would have ran to her daughter's room first.

"At that point I'm in the kitchen with this man. She's upstairs. Ugh, yes I absolutely wish I grabbed my daughter first," she said.

Levine allegedly walked into Lauryn's room and told her to get out of "his" house.

Meanwhile, Nunez said she enlisted the help of neighbor Daryl Ernest, who ran to the house, kicked down a locked door, and waited for the police to arrive.

Levine is charged with burglary, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.

He was to be arraigned Friday at First District Court in Hempstead.

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