Video surveillance footage revealed a chilling moment as a man reportedly attempted to abduct a 4-year-old boy in the presence of his parents. The alarming incident, recorded on CCTV, unfolded approximately at 11:55 a.m. as the family exited a pharmacy in Miami Beach, Florida, according to WPLG Local10.
Nicolas Sternaman, the alleged kidnapper, entered the CVS on Collins Avenue as the 4-year-old boy and his parents were leaving. When the boy’s mother stepped outside, Sternaman, 26, reportedly bent over and seized the child by the neck, lifting him and making a bid to escape the premises, as per WPLG reports.
In a swift and courageous response, the father immediately intervened, seizing Sternaman, while the mother swiftly rescued her child from the alleged kidnapper’s grasp, as depicted in store surveillance footage obtained by the outlet. During the struggle, the boy fell to the floor as his father grappled with Sternaman, ultimately tearing off the individual’s black jacket. The mother swiftly retrieved the child while the father forcefully pushed Sternaman into the store’s glass door.
Sternaman managed to escape the store but was reportedly apprehended by Miami Beach Police a few blocks away. The child, visibly shaken by the incident, clung tightly to his mother and was unwilling to let go, as reported by The New York Post.
Witness Zachary Jefferson told CBS News, “Everyone was just shocked because it was so quick and it was so fast. The guy just came out of nowhere."
“I’m like screaming at the guy like stop, stop. Then I see her purse fall and I know she has important things in her purse. So I grabbed it and gave it to her. And I’m like somebody call the cops! Like please."
Police officers joined the pursuit and apprehended Sternaman along Harding Avenue near 71st Street, approximately three blocks from the CVS.
According to the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation website, Sternaman is facing felony charges of aggravated child abuse and kidnapping of a child.
Sternaman, a resident of the Mirador 1000 condominium penthouse in South Beach, had a prior arrest for petit theft on January 3 and was released on a $150 (Rs 12,449.32) bond, according to WPLG Local10, citing Miami-Dade County court records.
The outlet also noted that Sternaman declined to provide an explanation to the police regarding the attempted abduction.
“Be aware of your child every second because in one second they can be taken away," cautioned the boy’s father to viewers of WPLG Local10, while his mother described the incident as “terrifying."
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