A naked man has been arrested after he allegedly attempted to abduct a seven-year-old girl from her mother at a waterfront harbour.

At approximately 7pm on Saturday, officers received reports of a naked man at Tom McCall Waterfront in Portland, in the United States One caller claimed the man had tried to punch them in the head, according to Fox News.

Callers claimed he had the seven-year-old and was trying to drag her away from her mother. The man had allegedly grabbed the child’s arm, investigators later reported, prompting her parents and onlookers to intervene.

It took a small crowd to stop him and prevent him from taking the child, reports the Daily Star. A fierce struggle ensued, with the child’s mother seizing the girl’s other arm and wrestling with the naked attacker so intensely that the child was lifted clean off the ground.

The child’s father and other bystanders also waded in, punching, slapping and pulling at the suspect until he released the girl.

One onlooker even deployed pepper spray in a bid to subdue the naked alleged kidnapper. The girl and her family told police they had been visiting Portland from another state.

The suspect has since been identified as Daniel Vasey, 31, and was arrested and remanded to Multnomah County Detention Centre on charges of first and second-degree attempted kidnapping, first-degree custodial interference and third-degree assault and harassment.

Authorities confirmed the child did not sustain serious injuries. She was examined by paramedics at the scene but did not require hospital treatment.

In a separate incident earlier this year, another naked man was apprehended after stealing an ambulance with a patient still on board, sparking a dramatic police pursuit.

Benjamin Feltz, 37, faced 10 charges including four felonies following his arrest in the nude by Wisconsin Rapids Police Department.

The chase spanned more than 18 miles and lasted approximately 40 minutes before coming to an end at State Highway 73, near the intersection of Wood County X in Pittsville, when Feltz allegedly veered off into a muddy field.