In a moment of life imitating art, Law & Order star George Pogatsia stopped the attempted abduction of a 19-year-old woman over the weekend.
The actor and his wife were returning home from dinner in Jersey City Heights on Saturday at around 10:30 PM when they saw a man approach a young woman on the street, as per TMZ.
According to Pogatsia, the woman seemed intoxicated and rejected the man, saying she didn’t know him, as he tired to persuade her to leave with him.
When the woman tried to run, the man reportedly grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.
Pogatsia then intervened, warning the man to put her down.
The suspect dropped the woman and ran, disappearing before police and an ambulance arrived.
Law & Order star George Pogatsia stopped the attempted abduction of a 19-year-old woman over the weekend, according to TMZ; Pogatsia pictured in 2014
Pogatsia stayed to give the police an account of what happened.
‘I hope she’s okay. I’m happy I was able to step up and stop it,’ he told TMZ.
Pogatsia starred as court officer Mikey in two episodes of the long-running crime drama television series.
He also appeared in the beloved series The Sopranos (2007).
Pogatsia’s last acting credits include a role on the TV series Luke Cage in 2018.
His other credits include Baked in Brooklyn (2016), Manhattan Night (2016) and Whispering Pines (2014).
Law & Order premiered in 1990 and has since spawned multiple spin-offs, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
The iconic show is currently in its 25th Season.
The Season 25 cast includes Hugh Dancy, Maura Tierney, Tony Goldwyn, Odelya Halevi, and Reid Scott.
Law & Order airs Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Last month, the show’s spin-off, Law & Order: SVU, was blasted as ‘irresponsible and pathetic’ by the Department of Homeland Security, after a recent episode depicted Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as villains.
The season premiere of the long-running show finds Captain Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay, trying to track down a rapist, but her key witness is a building superintendent named Jorge Ruiz, who is pursued by ICE.
According to Pogatsia, an intoxicated woman rejected a man who then tried to abuct her. When he grabbed her, Pogatsia intervened; He is seen in a still from Law & Order
Pogatsia starred as court officer Mikey in two episodes of the long-running crime drama television series. He also appeared in the beloved series The Sopranos (2007)
Law & Order premiered in 1990 and has since spawned multiple spin-offs, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Once Benson gets Ruiz into NYPD custody as a witness, ICE agents show up to police headquarters to arrest Ruiz, who previously admitted to NYPD officers that he’s been in the U.S. for 22 years illegally.
Benson tries to get her colleague to arrest Ruiz so that he can stay in NYPD custody – prompting the ICE agents to arrest Hargitay’s character for ‘obstructing this operation from the beginning.’
Throughout the episode, ICE agents are characterized as the bad guys, interfering with the Special Victims Unit’s rape prosecution.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin blasted the portrayal in a statement to the Daily Mail.
‘Not even a week ago, our ICE law enforcement was shot up by a deranged lunatic who wanted to terrorize ICE and not even a week later Law and Order: SVU released an episode that further villainizes our brave ICE law enforcement,’ McLaughlin said.
‘NBC and Hollywood elites must stop fanning the flames of division,’ she added.
