Press Release

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that a 32-year-old Brentwood man has been charged with attempted kidnapping and other crimes for allegedly dragging a 7-year-old girl from her bed and out the front door of her home in a brazen abduction attempt Monday morning. The girl was saved when her family members heard her cries for help and stopped the man.

District Attorney Katz said, “This is a parent’s worst nightmare. The defendant allegedly illegally entered the family’s home and grabbed the girl as she slept in her bed. If not for her loved ones hearing her screams and acting to save her, this could have had a truly tragic outcome. The defendant was quickly apprehended and the girl is safe with her family.”

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Pete Haughton, 32, of American Boulevard in Brentwood, Long Island. Haughton was arraigned late yesterday afternoon before Queens Criminal Court Judge Danielle Hartman on a complaint charging him with burglary in the first degree, attempted kidnapping in the second degree, assault in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child. Judge Hartmann held the defendant without bail and ordered a psychiatric examination. The defendant’s next court date is scheduled for July 23, 2020. If convicted, Haughton faces up to 25 years in prison.

According to the charges, said District Attorney Katz, at around 7 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2020, the defendant entered a Lawrence Street home in the Flushing section of Queens. He did not have permission to enter, but ventured into the bedroom of the sleeping 7-year-old girl and allegedly grabbed her. Haughton is accused of dragging the victim out of the room and toward the front door. As the girl screamed, the defendant pushed her down a short flight of stairs just outside the home’s entrance. Several family members, who were awakened by her screams, quickly ran outside and called the police. The defendant fled the scene, but was subsequently apprehended a few blocks away.

Assistant District Attorney John Esposito, of the District Attorney’s Career Criminal Major Crimes Bureau, is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Shawn Clark, Bureau Chief, and Michael Whitney, Deputy Bureau Chief, and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for Major Crimes Daniel A. Saunders.