Police in Upper Manhattan are searching for a suspect accused of trying to kidnap a 6-year-old girl at a subway station.

The incident happened at about 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, at the Inwood-207 Street train station mezzanine, according to police.

Eyewitness News spoke to the girl's father, who said she was traveling to a therapy appointment with her 36-year-old mother at the time of the attempted kidnapping.

"My daughter starts screaming. She was like, 'mom, mom, mom,'" said the victim's father, Ramiro Heras.

Heras said his wife, who was holding the couple's young son as his daughter stood close by, was preparing to swipe her OMNY card at the turnstile. That's when the suspect swept in and grabbed the girl.

"Once she took my daughter, she held her like that... tight," Heras said.

He said the suspect tried to go through the turnstile and down into the subway with the little girl, but failed.

"She was passing the card, but for any reason, when she was trying to pass that, the toll didn't go through," Heras said. "Otherwise, she was taking my daughter with her."

The suspect let the little girl go but managed to get away, fleeing on a southbound A train.

Emergency medical personnel responded and treated the girl at the scene, but Heras said his daughter is still reliving the trauma each day.

"She doesn't want to go in the subway. Now, when she walks in the street, that's just like, OK, hides behind me," Heras said.

Heras says more needs to be done to make the subways safer.

"Definitely. Every... every night that I come back from work, it's terrible. It's terrible," Heras said.

In the meantime, he's hoping police catch the woman soon.

"Why did she do what she did? That's what I want to ask her," Heras said.

The suspect remains unidentified.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, in Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). All calls are confidential.

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