Brighton and State Police announced Thursday that a Brooklyn man has been taken into custody in connection with the abduction of a Brighton girl earlier this week.
They said that 40-year-old Serdar Ozmen was arrested by a task force in Queens on Wednesday.
He faces a first-degree felony kidnapping charge in connection with the incident involving a 14-year-old girl.
She was reported missing early Monday and located later that evening in the Bronx. A criminal complaint alleges that the teen was abducted and held for more than 12 hours.
Officials said that the girl had apparently been communicating with Ozmen via cell phone messages and through social media prior to the alleged abduction.
And that situation is one that Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Sara Van Strydonck said points to the need for parents and other adults to be vigilant.
“And you have a responsibility when you have kids, when you have kids you care about and you love that you need to have these important conversations with them about social media, about the internet in general, and not even social media, anything,” said Van Strydonck. “People are out there, and they try to hurt kids. And unfortunately, we see it every day.”
Some details surrounding the incident have not been released yet, but officials did say that Ozmen is being held in the Monroe County jail without bail, as police and prosecutors continue their investigation.
Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi also said that an order of protection has been issued for the teen.
