Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption The girl is said to have refused to give the boy one of her chicken nuggets

A 12-year-old boy is accused of pulling a gun on a girl and demanding one of her chicken nuggets, New York police say.

They say he asked for a nugget in a McDonald's fast food outlet in Harlem on Tuesday.

When she refused, he is then alleged to have followed her to a nearby subway station and held the gun to her head.

She pushed the gun away and boarded the train, and he was later taken into custody, police say.

The New York Police Department says the gun has not been found, and it remains unclear whether it was real or a replica.

They say the boy was released on Thursday, and the case has been referred to the family courts.