A Mount Washington man arrested Monday for luring a 15-year-old girl into his car told police that he had assaulted multitudes of women, but insisted that in this case he was offering the girl an innocent ride.

Joseph Allen Mazzoni Jr.

Two Pittsburgh homicide detectives, who were in an unmarked car, said they observed the suspect, Joseph Allen Mazzoni Jr., 71, stop to offer a ride to the girl at 10:28 a.m. as she walked along Greentree Road near Corinth Street.

Mr. Mazzoni convinced her that he knew her mother, and she got in the car, the girl told police.

Detectives approached the vehicle before it pulled away and spoke to Mr. Mazzoni and the girl, then took him to police headquarters for questioning.

Mr. Mazzoni later was charged with luring a child into a vehicle and sent to the Allegheny County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail, after detailing his criminal past for investigators.

An affidavit said: "Mazzoni felt the lack of nurturing and love from his mother turned him into a person who was angry and aggressive with women. He believed this to be the factor that led to his crimes."

Mr. Mazzoni told investigators he started attacking women in 1958 or '59. He would see women he liked, follow them home and knock on their doors, asking, for example, "Can I use your phone?" Once inside, he would put the victim in a choke hold and assault her.

Mr. Mazzoni said he had attacked 15 to 20 women, and recalled forcing sexual intercourse on five or six of them.

According to the affidavit, investigators looked up Mr. Mazzoni's criminal history and found that he was convicted of such crimes twice.

In 1961, he pleaded guilty to rape, sodomy, assault with intent to ravish, and assault and battery. In 1967, he pleaded guilty to attempted larceny and assault and battery. He was sentenced to jail in both instances.

But he said he had benign intentions toward the 15-year-old and denied telling her he knew her mother.

He insisted his days of attacking women were behind him. He said he had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction and stopped taking medication for it because the side effects were unbearable.

According to the affidavit: "Mazzoni stated he could not perform sexually without the use of Viagra and therefore posed no danger."