NBC New York’s Checkey Beckford reports.
Like a scene straight out of a horror movie, a parent's worst nightmare played out on a Bronx sidewalk as a man attempted to abduct a child, but fortunately did not get far.
A stranger grabbed a 3-year-old girl from her grandmother Monday near Baisley Avenue and East Tremont Avenue in Schuylerville, surveillance video showed. The man, who was covered in a blanket, approached the woman, swooped down and yanked the young girl from the grandmother's grasp before running off.
The grandmother frantically chased after the man, with two other young boys left on the sidewalk alone, visibly upset.
Two Good Samaritans, Fermin Bracero and Katherine Garcia, were among those who went after the man. They said he released the young girl as they approached, with video showing the an walking away, blanket in hand as one of the witnesses kept watch near his car.
"When he grabbed her I thought it was a joke," Bracero said. "When she said 'He's taking my child away,' I reacted and went towards him."
The suspect initially got away on a scooter, but was later caught by police. The man, identified as 27-year-old Santiago Salcedo, smiled as he was walked out of the stationhouse in handcuffs late Monday night.
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Salcedo faces a long list of charges including kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and child endangerment. He remained in police custody.
