The terrifying standoff happened on Saturday, when four children and an adult woman were bringing their friends Halloween treats on Long Island, the Nassau County Police Department said.

The family was reportedly participating in a local Halloween tradition called ‘ghosting’ – where children leave bags of candy on a doorstep before ringing the bell and running away.

The woman dropped off her daughter, 10, and her son, 6, at an address in Manhasset for the prank. They dropped off the goody bag and rang the doorbell before returning to their car and driving away.

The family returned to the home after they realized they may have dropped the candy off at the wrong address. The 6-year-old boy ran up to the porch to retrieve the bag.

When he approached the door for a second time, a man emerged and pointed a handgun at the frightened child’s head.

Police were quickly notified and the suspect was arrested without incident.

Michael Yifan Wen, 43, was charged with menacing and endangering the welfare of a child.

Wen was arraigned on Sunday and pleaded not guilty to both charges. He was released without bail.

His attorney, William Zou, told CBS News New York the incident was a ‘misunderstanding and a mistake.’

‘He just opened the door, react strongly, tell the person to get away from his property,’ the attorney said. ‘By the time he realized it was a kid, he started to regret.’

The incident is strikingly similar to a number of shootings that have occurred this year after young people approached the wrong address.

In April, black teenager Ralph Yarl was shot and seriously injured after arriving at the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers.

Just days later, Kaylin Gillis, 20, was shot and killed after she drove down the wrong driveway in rural upstate New York.

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