A house of worship in Brooklyn was the scene of an attempted kidnapping, according to police, but the child's mother stepped in at the right time to prevent the situation from becoming far worse.
The incident occurred Wednesday morning at a synagogue in Gravesend. Police said a man walked in and tried to pull a young boy right out of the building.
Rabbi Aron Lankry of the Hesed Le Avraham Synagogue replayed what happened when a stranger approached the 9-year-old boy this morning.
“I was inside the synagogue it took place right here by the entrance,” Lankry said. “He came over here, and started talking to the child…When the kid didn’t listen, he grabbed him by the arm and started to walk this way towards the exit.”
That's when the boy's mother confronted the man who was steps away from walking out of the synagogue with her son. Law enforcement sources tell News 4 the suspect is a member of the Jewish community and is known to police.
“The mother asked, ‘Do you know this boy?’ He said no. Mom said, ‘What are you doing?’ And then he just ran,” said Lankry.
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Lankry applauded the boy’s mother, who did what she had to do to protect her son.
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“The child was in shock, and the mom stood her ground by the entrance,” the rabbi said.
The synagogues cameras caught it all, allowing Lankry to give police a clear picture of the alleged kidnapper. The rabbi said volunteers from the synagogue found the suspect in another Jewish institution in the neighborhood, allowing police to make an arrest. The rabbi doesn’t want to imagine what could have happened were it not for the eagle-eyed mom.
“It’s hard to be a prophet nowadays, you know what I’m saying,” Lankry said with a chuckle. “I can't read minds but the actions are the one that express concern.”
Charges are still pending against the suspect, who has not been identified. Police have not yet determined a motive.
