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Label:
Press release
A man is facing numerous charges including attempted kidnapping of a 7-year-old girl in Tom McCall Waterfront Park near the Salmon Street Springs.
Published
On Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 6:51 p.m., dispatchers from the Bureau of Emergency Communication (BOEC) notified Portland Police Officers assigned to Central Precinct that a man was seen running around naked in the 1000 block of Southwest Naito Parkway. At 6:55 p.m., dispatch advised officers that another caller stated the man tried to punch them in the head. All police officers were busy with other calls including an incident involving a disturbance with a gun, and none were available to respond.
At 7:03 p.m., a third caller reported that the suspect grabbed a young girl and pull her away from her mother. With no available Central Officers, dispatchers sent officers from North Precinct.
When officers arrived, officers located the naked suspect wading in the Willamette River and arrested him. Officers determined that the victim was not seriously injured. The girl was checked by paramedics at the scene and treated for scratches, but she was not transported by ambulance.
The officers' investigation revealed that the suspect, Daniel C. Vasey, 31, grabbed the girl's arm. Her mother grabbed her other arm and tried to prevent Vasey from taking the 7-year-old. The struggle over the girl was so significant that she was lifted off the ground. The child's father, mother, and bystanders jumped in, punching, slapping, and pulling on the suspect. That prompted the man to release the girl. One bystander deployed an irritant spray at him trying to keep him away from people and prevent him from continuing his criminal actions.
The victim and her family told officers that they are tourists visiting Portland from out of state.
Vasey was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Attempted Kidnapping in the First Degree, Attempted Kidnapping in the Second Degree, Custodial Interference in the First Degree, Assault in the Third Degree, and Harassment.
If anyone has information about this case and has not talked to police, please submit a tip online. Submit a Tip The case number is 26-201501.
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