TV Actor Stopped Woman's Kidnapping In North Jersey, Official Says

JERSEY CITY, NJ — George Pogatsia, an actor who has appeared on "Law & Order" and "The Sopranos," may have stopped a woman from being abducted near his Jersey City home last weekend, a local official said.

"I want to highlight a true Heights Hero," said Ward D Councilman Yousef J. Saleh in a social media post. "George Pogatsia, a Heights resident and actor. [He] stepped into action and stopped an attempted abduction. Thank you George!"

Stories on TMZ and in People Magazine said that Pogatsia and his wife were returning to their home in the Heights neighborhood — just uphill from Hoboken — after having dinner Saturday night. That's when the actor noticed the young woman and a male relative, whom the woman later identified as her cousin, in a vulnerable situation.

A different, taller man was trying to physically pull the woman away, Pogatsia told media outlets. The woman explained to Pogatsia's wife, in Spanish, that she didn't know the man, according to the account.

Pogatsia got in the way of the man while his wife called police, and the suspect fled before officials arrived.

'Carried Over The Shoulder'

Although news accounts said the young woman was 19, Jersey City Public Safety Spokeswoman Kim Wallace-Scalcione said records indicate the victim was 21.

Wallace-Scalcione said Friday that according to police, "A 21-year-old female was seen by her 36-year-old family member being carried over the shoulder of an unknown male. The male fled once he was addressed."

The incident took place just before 10:30 p.m. near Hancock Avenue and Griffith streets, she said.

She said that when police arrived at the scene, "The caller identified himself ... and stated that the intoxicated female was seen being carried by a male."

The suspect left the area, according to the police report, and the woman declined medical attention.

No one had been arrested in the incident as of Friday, Wallace-Scalcione said.

Patch will update the story if more information is released.

RELATED: Hoboken Police Look For Suspect In 2 Purse-Snatchings On Saturday