A city man accused of picking up his neighbor’s 5-year-old son by the neck had all charges against him bound to the court of common pleas following a preliminary hearing in Blair County Central Court on Wednesday.

Michael Eric Rosenbloom, 56, is facing a single felony count of aggravated assault – victim less than 6 years of age and one summary harassment charge. He remains in custody at the Blair County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.

The victim’s mother was the sole witness called to testify during the proceedings. She said Rosenbloom was her neighbor in the same building along the 2300 block of Seventh Avenue, but on different floors.

On the day of the incident, the woman said she was taking out her garbage when Rosenbloom offered her help. She declined but he assisted her anyway, and she then sat on her back steps while Rosenbloom was on his porch, she said.

“That’s how we started talking that day,” she said.

When her son came outside to play in the backyard, the woman said Rosenbloom gave him a “scooper” for the dirt. He also gave the victim a towel for his dirty hands and a bucket of cold water.

The victim then began putting weeds in the bucket of water, which is when Rosenbloom became upset, the woman said. Rosenbloom went inside and slammed the door before coming back out to the yard.

Rosenbloom “ripped my son up” by his throat using both hands, the victim’s mother said through tears.

The victim was screaming and crying while Rosenbloom laughed and pretended to cry in his face, she said.

When asked by Rosenbloom’s attorney, Public Defender John Siford, what might have caused Rosenbloom to react in such a way, the victim’s mother said her son hadn’t done anything.

“My son was out there for all of 10 minutes,” she said. “It did not take long for this to happen.”

Siford then questioned if Rosenbloom said anything to her during or after the incident, to which the woman said Rosenbloom told her “I’m playing.”

“I told him ‘you are 42, 52 years old. He is 5 years old. That is not how you play,'” she said. “He looked like he was going to throw my kid.”

Once she was able to take her son from Rosenbloom, the woman said she called their landlord, who instructed her to call the police.

She said there were visible red marks on her son’s neck and that her son later told her that he couldn’t breathe during the incident and his throat hurt.

Altoona police were accompanied to the scene by AMED, who evaluated the victim and told the woman her son could either be taken to the hospital or a pediatrician. She took him to the doctor the next day and was told no major damage had been done.

Siford left the decision on sending charges to the court of common pleas to presiding Magisterial District Judge Benjamin F. Jones’ discretion. First District Attorney Nichole Smith also made no closing arguments.

Rosenbloom’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 15.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.