A man has been apprehended after attempting to abduct a 6-year-old boy in Coney Island, Brooklyn, before hurling the child at his parents who were in pursuit, according to the police.
On Sunday night, the streets were filled with people enjoying the final hours of a holiday weekend.
Roy Gantt, Sharon Robinson, and their son Rah’Shem Gantt were out shopping for popcorn when an unknown man, clad entirely in black and sporting a tall hat, unexpectedly seized Rah’Shem. As the parents quickly realized what was happening and gave chase, the stranger dropped the boy to the ground.
The incident was captured on video.
“I turned around and saw a man grab him and flee down the boardwalk. He dropped Rah’Shem when he noticed us pursuing him,” Roy Gantt recounted, adding that it sounded like the boy hit his head on the pavement.
Gantt said he and the boy’s mother chased the man and pinned him down for about four minutes until police arrived.
“That was someone who attempted to kidnap my son, then assaulted him,” Gantt said.
“It was scary,” Rah’Shem said.
The crowded streets were full of witnesses, and several stayed with the crying boy and his toddler sister while his parents ran after the suspect and pinned him.
“The cops came and thought we were jumping on somebody for no reason. We had ten, 15 people come up and vouch for us,” Roy Gantt said.
“I had my foot on his chest to hold him down. I didn’t have the heart to stomp him,” Robinson said. “Violence is not my way.”
The suspect, 36-year-old Jonathan Robalino, was arrested and is now charged with assault and attempted kidnapping. The New York Police Department said the suspect has had prior interactions with police and remains in custody.
“It was just shocking. I’m a mother myself so we all ran over to see what was happening,” bystander Nora Smiles recalled.
The 6-year-old was deemed healthy after being examined at Coney Island Hospital, although his father says he never wants to return to Coney Island again.
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