Police Arrest Suspect In Attempted Kidnapping At Central Park Playground
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD has arrested a woman who they said tried to abduct a toddler from a Central Park playground last week.
On May 12, authorities said Cecile Jackson, 35, entered Heckscher Playground near the south end of Central Park and picked up the boy, who had been sitting on a swing.
Police Arrest Suspect In Attempted Kidnapping At Central Park Playground
She then tried to leave the park with the boy, but the boy's nanny, a 27-year-old woman who was pushing the toddler's brother on an adjacent swing, stopped her and took the child back, police said.
The boy was not injured, and Jackson ran off, police said.
Police sources said Jackson was arrested on Tuesday after she approached another child in Central Park, CBS2's Valerie Castro reported. Two women saw the interaction and reported it to police.
Jackson was arrested on Central Park West near 84th Street, Castro reported.
At that time, she allegedly confessed to being involved in the incident on May 12. When asked about it on Wednesday, Jackson wouldn't say anything but shook her head no, Castro reported.
Jackson has now been charged with second-degree attempted kidnapping.
The attempted abduction happened at the same playground where, police said, a group of teens beat up and robbed a young couple the Saturday before.
Police charged two teenagers in connection with that case on Tuesday.
Jeffrey Valdez, 17, of Pleasantville, Westchester County, was charged with robbery, menacing, and criminal possession of a weapon.
The 14-year-old girl, whose name was not released, was charged with three counts of robbery, two counts of menacing, one count of assault, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and a count of criminal possession of stolen property.
