Police say a 5-year-old girl was at Maple Avenue in Westbury just before 11:30 a.m. Sunday when the man grabbed her arm and tried to pull her in his direction several times.
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She was able to break free and run to her parents.
The incident happened outside St. Brigid's school after one mass had ended and another was set to begin.
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Police say what is strange to them is the man didn't run away. He and two women attended the next mass at church.
Surveillance cameras captured several images of them entering and leaving the service at a leisurely pace.
"So we would like to talk to him, talk to maybe the other women that were with him at the time, they could give us a call as well, find out, what's the reason, why did this happen?" said Det. Michael Bitsko with the Nassau County Police Department.
He was described as being in his 50s or early 60s with a slight limp.
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No injuries were reported, and the investigation is active and ongoing.
Detectives request anyone with information regarding this incident to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
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