Portland police arrested a naked man Saturday evening on suspicion of attempting to kidnap a 7-year-old girl from her mother at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The incident occurred shortly before 7 p.m. when authorities received multiple reports of a naked man behaving erratically in the park, with one caller reporting the man had attempted to punch them.
Approximately 12 minutes later, a second caller reported that the suspect had grabbed a young girl and was attempting to pull her away from her mother. Responding officers located the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Daniel Vasey, swimming in the Willamette River nearby. Vasey was taken into custody and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges including attempted kidnapping, custodial interference, assault, and harassment.
According to police, the girl's parents and bystanders intervened, punching, slapping, and pulling on the suspect until he released the child. One bystander also used pepper spray. The girl's mother reportedly held onto her daughter's other arm during the struggle, which lifted the child off the ground. The family informed officers that they were tourists visiting Portland from out of state.
The 7-year-old girl sustained minor injuries, including scratches. Paramedics evaluated her at the scene, but she was not transported to a hospital.
At the time of the initial reports, police stated that all available officers were occupied responding to other calls, and none were immediately available to address the situation in the park. The suspect, Matthew Hokulii Aranda, was later indicted on stalking, attempted kidnapping, assault, and weapons charges for an unrelated incident in Medford, Oregon, where he allegedly attacked a caregiver at a mobile home park.