Inside Edition spoke to two of the brave bystanders and the little girl's mother about what happened.
Several bystanders near a Bronx gas station are being hailed as heroes after they helped thwart an attempted kidnapping of a 3-year-old girl.
Surveillance video shows the stranger coming toward the grandmother, who was walking home with the little girl and her young twin brothers from a nearby park. Suddenly, the man violently snatched the girl and ran in the other direction.
The grandmother gave chase, and so did good Samaritans who heard her screams. Once cornered, the suspect put the child down and then calmly walked away as if nothing happened, before jumping on a scooter and riding off.
Police found him three hours later sleeping in a store doorway and identified him as 27-year-old Santiago Salcedo. He smiled for the cameras as he was taken away for his arraignment.
Fermin Bracero, one of the good Samaritans, spoke to Inside Edition about what happened. He said four people went after the man, plus the children’s grandmother, who “got close” to grabbing the suspect.
Katherine Garcia, another bystander, says she started yelling when she saw him take the child.
“Thank god that we were all here, and we all did the right thing,” Garcia said.
The young children’s mom told Inside Edition that her kids are doing great, but the grandmother is still shaken.
“We will get through this,” the mom said. “She’s the greatest mom in the world.
Security consultant Bill Stanton says grandma was faced with a terrible choice — by going after the kidnapper, she also had to leave the twins to fend for themselves. But, he says, she did the right thing.
“She addressed the imminent threat. She went after the assailant — screaming, letting people know. Thank god there were other people in this gas station to step up. They were prepared, not scared to make a difference,” Stanton said.
The suspect faces multiple charges, including kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child.
