A New Kensington man was charged with a felony after a woman told police that he tried to stop her from leaving his house during an argument and covered her mouth and nose until she couldn’t breathe when she screamed for help.

Andrew Paul Ziencik, 39, of the 700 block of Campbell Avenue was arrested on a felony count of strangulation along with counts of unlawful restraint and simple assault.

Police responding to a call for a domestic incident at Ziencik’s home shortly before 8 p.m. Jan. 2 said they saw “fresh” red marks around the woman’s throat, according to a criminal complaint.

The woman told police she and Ziencik recently broke up, but he called and asked her to come to his home to “talk things over,” the complaint said.

The woman said Ziencik was intoxicated and became aggressive toward her when she tried to leave, according to the complaint. She said he grabbed her by the arm and told her she “wasn’t going anywhere” and then covered her mouth and nose until she couldn’t breathe when she began screaming for help, according to investigators.

The woman told police she was able to break free from Ziencik and ask a neighbor to call police, according to the complaint.

Ziencik was released from custody on a $10,000 unsecured bond and faces a Thursday preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr., according to court records.

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