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Cops: Man found rolling naked in grass after attempted abduction

A Philadelphia man who tried to abduct a girl as she walked hand-in-hand with both of her parents in Upper Darby last night was later found rolling naked in the grass along Cobbs Creek Parkway.

A Philadelphia man who tried to abduct a girl as she walked hand-in-hand with both of her parents in Upper Darby last night was later found rolling naked in the grass along Cobbs Creek Parkway.

According to police, at 7:30 p.m. the 3-year-old girl was walking along Marshall Road near Powell Lane in between her mother and her father, holding both of their hands, when Daniel Johnson, 27, approached the family.

He was not wearing a shirt and the family moved to the side to let him pass, but he lunged at the little girl, grabbed her arm and tried to abduct her, police said. The parents fought back and Johnson eventually ran away without the girl, said Upper Darby police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.

Philadelphia police later found Johnson rolling around naked in the grass on Cobbs Creek Parkway near Spruce Street, police said. He was taken into custody and positively identified by the family as the attacker, Chitwood said.

Chitwood said it's believed Johnson took his clothes off on a bridge over a creek and threw them into the water below. He said Johnson was "totally whacked out," possibly on PCP.

"He was rolling around in the grass stone naked, so he's not dealing with a full deck," Chitwood said.

Johnson was charged with attempting kidnapping, simple assault and related offenses.