A mother managed to pull her son out of a car window to safety after an attempted kidnapping in Queens, New York.
Surveillance cameras happened to catch the five-year-old son of Dolores Diaz being abducted by a man who emerged from an idling vehicle nearby.
The boy was walking ahead of Diaz and his two siblings on Hillside Avenue in Richmond Hill on Thursday when the man snatched the young boy and threw him into the backseat of the vehicle.
As the suspect raced to the driver's seat, Diaz ran to the car and tried pulling on the door, but it was locked. So she reached through the open window and yanked her son out just before the car sped away.
You can watch the footage, here:
UPDATE: A 24-year-old male has been arrested and charged with:\n\n- Attempted Kidnapping\n- Reckless Endangerment\n- Acting in a Manner Injurious to a Child less than 17https://twitter.com/nypdnews/status/1416084574673805316\u00a0\u2026— NYPD NEWS (@NYPD NEWS) 1626487868
Diaz recalled to CBS Local what went through her head the moment she saw her son being thrown into the vehicle.
"It's quick. I said oh my God, my kids, please," she said.
"Because I'm screaming, the people coming, and they help me," Diaz said of the bystanders who ran to the scene. "One lady come and called the police."
How about these kids helping this mother. Are these the little boys siblings? My god, the courage. Look at these small children fight for this boy. Thank god everyone\u2019s okay.— Shelley Ann Mirkovic (@Shelley Ann Mirkovic) 1626492919
I am in awe of the quick reaction and team effort this entire family was able to pull together instantly in order to save their precious baby.— Brianna (@Brianna) 1626572234
The mom thank god she got her child back— BKAYKAY (@BKAYKAY) 1626525335
Brilliant. So happy you got him. Well done x— James Marshall (@James Marshall) 1626508329
According to the Huffington Post, the New York City Police Department released the footage and asked the public to help look for the suspect and another man, believed to be the suspect's father, who was inside the car.
Diaz said she had never seen the two men before and there was no explanation of a motive for the attempted kidnapping provided to the police.
Pure evil. Right in broad daylight with the mother close behind. What kind of monsters lie in wait for a 5 year old child? Prison forever. Danger to society.— Patricia Greenlee (@Patricia Greenlee) 1626539958
Jail on top of him please. Just the trauma he has caused all three children and their mother alone calls for that.— Real S M Williams (@Real S M Williams) 1626492414
Officers later found the suspect at Brookdale Hospital.
They were there for an unrelated incident and happened to recognize the man from the surveillance footage of the attempted kidnapping.
Good job NYPD!— \u0648\u0648\u0679 \u06a9\u0648 \u0639\u0632\u062a \u062f\u0648 \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf0 (@\u0648\u0648\u0679 \u06a9\u0648 \u0639\u0632\u062a \u062f\u0648 \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf0) 1626543395
Thank you NYPD! Great work, keep it up!— qnswmn (@qnswmn) 1626623755
The suspect was identified as 24-year-old James McGonagle.
The New York Daily News reported McGonagle happened to be at the local hospital on Friday for a psychiatric evaluation when he was identified and arrested.
He was charged with attempted kidnapping, reckless endangerment, and acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17.
McGonagle faces additional charges for assaulting an officer.
He should never see the outside of a prison wall again!!!!!— A\ud83c\udfc0UConn\ud83c\udfc0Sausage (@A\ud83c\udfc0UConn\ud83c\udfc0Sausage) 1626488020
As of Saturday, police said they were still looking for McGonagle's father – who was involved in the incident.