Posted on: January 16, 2025 12:20 PM

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Queens man sentenced to seven years in prison for attempted kidnapping of child in July 2021

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz today announced that James McGonagle was sentenced to seven years in prison for the attempted kidnapping of a 5-year-old boy, a stranger whom he grabbed off the sidewalk in Richmond Hill in July 2021.

District Attorney Katz said, “James McGonagle attempted to abduct a 5-year-old child as the victim and his family walked down a Richmond Hill street. The child’s mother and siblings bravely fought McGonagle off as they rescued the boy from the defendant’s car. The defendant needlessly terrorized this child, his family and, in fact, the entire community with his reckless behavior. With this sentence, James McGonagle will face justice for his crimes.”

McGonagle, 27, of Parsons Boulevard in Fresh Meadows, pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child in November 2024 before Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia L. Morris who sentenced him Friday to seven years in prison. The defendant must register as a sex offender upon his release.

According to the charges, on July 15, 2021, at approximately 8 p.m., video footage showed McGonagle was parked in a red Nissan near the intersection of Hillside Avenue and Bessemer Street. The defendant exited the car and charged toward the location where the 5-year-old victim was walking with his mother and two siblings. The defendant picked up the child and tossed him into the back seat of the car. The victim’s mother followed closely behind them and struggled to pull the young boy back out of the vehicle.

The two adults briefly wrestled over the boy, pulling his small body back and forth. Eventually, the boy’s mother and siblings prevailed and pulled the child back to safety through the car’s front passenger window. The defendant sped away. He was arrested the following day at a hospital in Brooklyn.

From DA