NEW YORK — A New York man was arrested Friday after trying to kidnap a 5-year-old boy who was walking with his mother along a sidewalk, investigators said.
Dolores Diaz Lopez was walking with her 5-year-old son Jacob and her two other children around 8 p.m. Thursday to visit her husband at work when they passed by a car parked on the street, WCBS reported.
Police released video that shows James McGonagle, 24, get out of the red vehicle, pick up the boy and put him in the car. Diaz Lopez then reaches through the car’s open front window and pulls out her son.
UPDATE: A 24-year-old male has been arrested and charged with:
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 17, 2021
- Attempted Kidnapping
- Reckless Endangerment
- Acting in a Manner Injurious to a Child less than 17 https://t.co/WXxXyk5JEq
“I said ‘oh my God my kids, oh my God my boy,’” Diaz Lopez told WABC.
The vehicle then drove off.
“I don’t know why that happened. I didn’t see those people, ever,” Diaz Lopez said.
McGonagle was at the hospital seeking treatment for some issue when he was taken into custody. Officers were at the hospital for an unrelated matter, noticed McGonagle and recognized him as the suspect from the video, WABC reported.
McGonagle is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, WCBS reported. He will then be arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping, reckless endangerment and acting in a manner injurious to a child. At least one other suspect, believed to be McGonagle’s father, remains at large, WPIX reported. It’s still unclear why they tried to take the child.
Diaz Lopez is grateful she and her children are safe.
“You have to do what’s necessary, no matter what,” Diaz Lopez told WABC. “The car was just parked there. I would never have imagined that a man would get out of the car and grab my son. You always have to be aware of your surroundings and not be on your phone.”
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