An 11-year-old boy was playing soccer at Pier 40 in Hudson River Park on Wednesday at about 7:30p when a man grabbed him by the shoulders and raised him off the ground, police said. The Hudson River Park Trust reviewed its own camera footage and gave more specifics, reporting that a group of children were kicking a soccer ball against the wall next to the bleachers on the walkway that surrounds the field when one of the children came close to the emotionally disturbed man. He then grabbed the child by the shirt and shook him, before letting go when parents nearby interceded.

The suspect then picked up a wooden object from the ground, menaced the group and then fled on foot into the Pier 40 bathrooms where he was arrested by NYPD officers. Seck Mamadou, 25, of 975 Cauldwell Avenue in the Bronx, was charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child, menacing and assault.

“Witnesses did the right thing by immediately calling 911 and the Operations Desk, and both PEP and NYPD arrived on the scene within minutes,” the Hudson River Park Trust told its Advisory Council in a letter. The boy was uninjured.

The Trust has since consulted with NYPD’s 6th Precinct and requested any uniform presence they can provide at Pier 40 during the sports field’s busy times.

“We already have a regular presence of PEP officers at Pier 40, except when officers are responding to other incidents or assisting others, and will be doing what we can to ensure that we have as much coverage as possible going forward,” the Trust wrote. “The perpetrator is not a person that was previously known to PEP officers or our staff.”

The park’s safety staff is provided by the Parks Department, and Parks Enforcement Police are stationed at the entrance to Pier 40.

“Particularly since this past spring, the Park has been experiencing many of the challenges seen in public spaces citywide associated with people facing homelessness, including incidents involving emotionally disturbed persons intimidating park patrons and staff, damage to park property, minor thefts, and more,” Trust staff said. “In an emergency, please follow what patrons did here – call 911 first and then the Operations Desk. We encourage all Park users to save the Operations Desk number in their phone (212-242-6427).”