NYC girl claims she was kidnapped by an ice cream truck driver, but police say it’s more complicated

An ice cream man in New York City was arrested on Sunday after a 10-year-old girl accused him of attempting to abduct her, then released after police uncovered the full story.

Jonathan Castro, a 20-year-old in Staten Island, was charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child, assault and attempted sexual abuse.

The girl allegedly claimed to her mother that Castro had grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his ice cream truck, reports the New York Post. She said she was about to break free and run away to the street, where she flagged down a passerby and called her mom.

But NYPD spokeswoman Lt. Jessica McRorie told McClatchy News on Monday that “there was no abduction.”

The man met with the girl on Sunday, Sep. 4, after messaging for the past week on social media. The 10-year-old had told Castro she was 18, with sources saying she appeared to be physically mature for her age.

Castro picked the girl up from the Mariner’s Harbor neighborhood about 4:40 p.m. in his ice cream truck, but the girl a change of heart shortly after and wanted out of the vehicle, according to police.  

The two had an argument that drew the attention of a passerby, who called 911.

Police found the driver at a local pizzeria, where he went for a slice and a soda after dropping the girl off.

“He's a regular. My staff knows him. He's a skinny kid,” its manager said, reports The Daily Mail. “We saw police talking to him and then they arrested him.”

The decision to move forward with the case or decline to prosecute lies with the Staten Island District Attorney’s office. Castro has no prior arrest record in New York, according to sources.

“It's a huge misunderstanding. I'm firm believer that the truth is going to prevail,” his mother Janet Castro told The Daily Mail.