Man Grabbed Girl's Hand, Put It In His Pocket At Brick Store: Police

BRICK, NJ — A Brick Township man has been arrested after he grabbed the hand of an 8-year-old girl he did not know and put the child's hand in his sweatshirt pocket at Walmart, authorities said Monday.

Sean Slowinski, 24, was arrested Friday at Target in Brick when police responded to a report of shoplifting, a joint release from Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Brick Township Police Chief David Forrester said.

The incident with the child happened at Walmart on April 9, authorities said.

The girl's mother called police on April 16 and reported her daughter had been touched inappropriately, and investigators learned the child was standing in an aisle at Walmart when an unknown man, later identified as Slowinski, approached her, authorities said. While standing very close to the girl, he grabbed her hand and put it in his sweatshirt pocket, authorities said. He then spoke to the girl before walking away, authorities said.

Authorities did not say what he accused of saying to the girl, and did not provide information on why the incident wasn't reported until a week after it happened.

Detectives were able to get a description of the man, and when police responded to the shoplifting report on April 18, they were able to identify Slowinski as the perpetrator of the incident at Walmart, authorities said.

He has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and is being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.