The teen, identified by relatives as Natasha Martinez, was stabbed at about 11:30 p.m. outside her Woodhaven home a week ago.
Law enforcement sources tell NBC 4 New York that the man was being questioned on Monday and that charges were pending.
The girl was stabbed so violently she lost a kidney and was in surgery for three hours, her mother said.
The mother said her daughter has a long-distance boyfriend who wasn't in town at the time of the attack, and has never had any problems. She has "always been a girl that goes from school to the house," she said last week.
"I don't know what happened, if he was on drugs or if he wanted to kill her," Wendy Martinez added.
It's not clear why the girl was attacked. According to her mother, none of the girl's belongings were taken.
