Man robbed 2 school girls and tried to kidnap a third, Jersey Shore cops say

LONG BRANCH — A 27-year-old man has been charged with trying to kidnap a girl off a city street and robbing two other young girls as they got off a school bus.

Daniel Omar Mejia-Reyes, a city resident, was arrested Wednesday and is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on a federal immigration detainer, police said. They did not say what his immigration status is.

Police say Mejia-Reyes forcibly robbed two girls of their cell phones on Wednesday afternoon and later picked up a girl who was walking home. The girl and a friend were able to fight him off, police said.

Police said the bus driver and an aide came to the first two girls’ help and took them back into the bus.

The girls were between 12 and 14 years old. The incidents happened in the neighborhood of Prospect Street and Bath Avenue.

Mejia-Reyes was charged with two counts of robbery, criminal restraint, aggravated criminal sexual contact and sexual assault.

Police would not release an arrest booking photo of the suspect citing a policy by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-438-1015 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.

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