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Published on January 15, 2025
Queens Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Attempted Child Kidnapping in Richmond HillSource: Google Street View

A Queens man has been handed a seven-year prison sentence following his guilty plea to attempted kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child. James McGonagle, 27, was accused of the 2021 attempt to abduct a 5-year-old boy off a Richmond Hill street, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz in a statement obtained by QNS. The incident, which took place on July 15, saw McGonagle assaulting the child and the child's brave mother and siblings successfully intervening to prevent the kidnapping.

McGonagle, from Fresh Meadows, was captured by surveillance footage exiting a parked red Nissan Sentra at around 8 p.m. near the intersection of Hillside Avenue and Bessemer Street, authorities detailed. He then proceeded to attempt to force the boy into the car's backseat, but they pulled the child to safety, the boy's family, through the car’s front passenger window – a scene that shook the community to its core. McGonagle fled the scene but got arrested the following day after being spotted inside Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn nursing facial injuries, as reported by the Gothamist.

"The defendant needlessly terrorized this child, his family and, in fact, the entire community with his reckless behavior," said DA Katz, condemning McGonagle's actions, as detailed by Gothamist. Sentenced last week, Queens Supreme Court Justice Gia L. Morris ordered McGonagle to serve time, a sentence less than the maximum 15 years that he faced for his crimes. Upon completion of his prison term, McGonagle is required to register as a sex offender.

The initial struggle was marked by a chilling moment when a male passenger within McGonagle's vehicle inquired, "What are you doing?" to which McGonagle chillingly replied, "We are taking the kid." This harrowing attempt saw the 5-year-old's mother, identified as Dolores Diaz Lopez, courageously retrieving her son from a fate untold, with Katz noting the abduction attempt left the community in a state of shock and fear. As relayed by QNS, McGonagle's sentence aims to deliver justice and the potential for healing for those affected.