ROCKEFELLER CENTER — A man was arrested for trying to touch a teen girl while masturbating near the famed Rockefeller Center Christmas tree last week, the NYPD said.
Police said the 13-year-old girl and her family were standing near the tree watching ice skaters at about 8:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8, when the teen's mother turned around to check on her children and saw the 28-year-old man masturbating and about to touch her daughter from behind.
Her daughter also turned around, saw the man in the act and screamed, according to a criminal complaint from the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
The girl’s stepfather managed to grab the man, Uriel Romano, before he and his wife brought him over to an NYPD officer assigned to monitor the plaza who placed him in custody, police said.
Romano, a New Jersey resident with no prior arrests on his record, was charged with forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a child, public lewdness and disorderly conduct, the complaint said.
He appeared in court a day after the incident and was released without bail, court records show.
Roger Asmar, Romano's attorney, maintained his client's innocence, calling the incident "a full and complete misunderstanding" by the girl's mother.
Asmar claimed Romano was taking photos of the Christmas tree when the mother accused him of the actions for which he was charged.
"It's totally and absolutely wrong," he said, declining to elaborate further. "The person that made this allegation... she's absolutely wrong about what happened."
Romano's next court appearance is set for Jan. 28.
