Police: Long Island Man Arrested After Asking Teenage Girls To Appear In Porn Video

MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island man is accused of trying to solicit two teenage girls for child pornography.

The man approached the two 14-year-olds in the parking lot of the King Kullen supermarket in Massapequa Park on Sunday, police said. He showed the girls a box of condoms, asked them if they would appear in an adult video with him and then showed them pornographic images on his cellphone, authorities told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall.

When the girls walked away, the suspect asked them to reconsider, police said. The teens then ran into a nearby store and called police.

An investigation led police to arrest Andrew Quattrone, 32, on Monday, charging him with two counts of attempted use of a child in a sexual performance, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal solicitation. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

Quattrone has been arrested eight times since 2004, including for similar alleged incidents, police told Hall.

"I think he used this area across from a high school as an area where he liked to approach his victims," Inspector Kenneth Lack, Nassau County Police Department said.

As CBS2's Dick Brennan explained, an apparent loophole in the law has allowed Quattrone to avoid being registered as a sex offender.

"There are certain criteria for being placed on the sex offender list, and apparently he did not fit that criteria. Whether that legislation has to be revisited, that's something for state legislators to look at," Lack said.

Quattrone's friend and property manager, Andrew Peters, said Quattrone never had or watched pornography there, 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reported.

"We would've removed him from the house immediately, we would not tolerate that. I have two children and it would have never been tolerated for a minute" Peters said, adding that Quattrone needs mental health, not jail.

Investigators are searching for other possible victims.

"Parents, talk to your children," Nassau County police Detective Vincent Garcia. "See if anything like this might have happened at this particular location."

Police are asking anyone with information on the case to call 516-573-6753.