Police say they have arrested the man who assaulted and tried to kidnap the wife of Councilman Domenic Recchia last week.
Cops collared George Hawthorne, 40, of Manhattan on Friday, just five days after he allegedly rushed over to the woman as she got out of her car, shoved her back into the vehicle and demanded that she drive away with him.
Hawthorne pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Saturday and was held on $225,000 bail.
According to cops, Hawthorne approached the victim as she got out of her Honda Pilot on March 17 at around 7 am near the corner of 65th Street and 16th Avenue in Bensonhurst.
He shoved her back into the car, punching her face and splitting her lip, cops said.
He told her to drive, but instead of pulling away, she started honking the horn, sending Hawthorne fleeing, police said.
Police put out a sketch of the suspect, which was posted on www.BrooklynPaper.com on Thursday night, and asked the public to help track the attacker. By Friday afternoon, cops caught up with him on Bath Avenue.
He was hit with 15 counts, including attempted kidnapping, assault and attempted robbery (of the car).
His lawyer, Ronald Weiss, said cops have “the wrong guy.”
“We pleaded not guilty because he is not guilty,” Weiss said.
Recchia, the Bensonhurst Democrat who is battling Steve Harrison for his party’s congressional nomination and a chance to take on Rep Vito Fossella in the fall, declined to comment.
The police report said that his wife’s lip wound caused “substantial pain” and also caused her to “fear further physical injury and to become alarmed and annoyed.”
