A shopping trip for a 16-year-old turned into a nightmare Wednesday at New Hampshire's Merrimack Premium Outlet Mall.
The Merrimack teen was attacked and almost kidnapped, police say, in broad daylight, around 4:15 p.m.
Merrimack Police Lt. Denise Roy says the teen was walking out of the bathroom near the food court when 25-year-old Desmond Mighty of Windsor, Connecticut, pounced on her.
Prior to the alleged attack, Roy says Mighty waited, pressed against the wall in the hallway in seclusion.
"[He] took her to the ground, pinned her down, made criminal threatening comments to her," said Roy. "[He] asked her if she wanted to die."
Mighty is now charged with attempted kidnapping among numerous other charges.
Merrimack Police say he has no ties to the area. They believe he came to Merrimack to target someone.
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In his vehicle, police say they also found two loaded guns, condoms, a knife and marijuana in small packages.
Police are describing this as a textbook case for screaming while under attack.
In this case, another woman heard the teen's cries for help. She came running over and Mighty allegedly fled, until he was found in the parking lot by mall security and arrested by police.
"I'm absolutely positive this victim never thought that she would run into this situation, but her parents have always told her, 'You need to scream, you need to get someone's attention,'" said Roy. "It's exactly what she did and that saved her life."
Mighty is behind bars Thursday night. His bail was initially set at $100,000 cash.
The Outlets released a statement, saying in part that they are cooperating with police and that safety is "top priority."
