Man denies misdeeds with boys at Rockaway mall

A self-employed Rockaway resident has denied sexually touching a 5-year-old boy in a bathroom at Rockaway Townsquare Mall and that he threatened to "cut up" a second boy unless the child accompanied him, according to a court record.

An arrest affidavit prepared by Morris County Prosecutor's Office Detective Marshall Wang, and made public Monday, provided more details into criminal charges filed Friday against Kyriakos Serghides, 34, of West Main Street, Rockaway.  He is being held on $400,000 bail in the Morris County jail on charges of luring, attempted kidnapping, sexual assault, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

Authorities first got a report on Aug. 28 that a stranger had touched a 5-year-old boy's genitals with his hand in a bathroom near the Food Court area of the Rockaway Townsquare Mall.  The child told police the man touched his genitals and said "There we go," according to the affidavit.

An unidentified "citizen witness" interviewed by police reported seeing a familiar male walking quickly away from the bathroom near the Food Court area at the time of the alleged touching incident, the affidavit said. The witness reported seeing the male at the mall on multiple occasions.

Last Thursday, a second 5-year-old boy reported that a stranger approached him when he was standing alone that day in the Target Department Store, located in the outer Townsquare Mall. The child stated that the male asked him to go with him and he refused. The stranger allegedly said: "If you say anything I'm going to cut you up," the affidavit said.

On Friday, the second child identified Serghides as the man who approached him at Target.  The affidavit did not detail how the boy made the identification.

On Friday, Wang and Rockaway Township Detective Thomas Takacs interviewed Serghides and allegedly found a pocket knife in the waistband of his pants.  Serghides told detectives that he only asked the boy at Target to come with him to customer service and did not make any threats to the child, the affidavit said.

The boy who allegedly was touched in a bathroom on Aug. 28 also identified Serghides on Friday as the person who approached him in the restroom, the affidavit said.

Serghides told police he was in the bathroom by the Food Court on Aug. 28 but denied sexually touching the boy, the affidavit said.

According to court records, Serghides was charged in Morris County in 2006 with child endangerment but the charge was administratively dismissed. He pleaded guilty in 2003 to charges stemming from a burglary, according to court records.

   Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.