Bodycam footage shows police speaking with the concerned father of a child who was nearly abducted in Miami Beach, Florida, in February.
The incident happened on February 8 at the CVS location on Collins Avenue when the four-year-old boy and his parents, who had recently arrived from Cuba, were exiting the store, NBC 6 South Florida reported on Wednesday.
The New York Post identified the father as Hassan Rodriguez.
Law enforcement said that when the family was leaving the store, the suspect, identified as Nicolas Metternich Sternaman, 26, allegedly grabbed the boy from behind. However, Hassan instantly grabbed the suspect and struggled with him until the man exited the building.
Surveillance video shows the altercation, with customers watching in disbelief at the scene unfolding in front of them. NBC reported the child was fine and safe with his parents:
One resident told the outlet, “It’s insane what happens around here.”
Police arrested the suspect not long after the attempted kidnappping occurred at the pharmacy. He was booked on kidnapping and battery charges.
A mugshot shows the suspect in the case:
Here’s the mugshot of who police say grabbed a four-year-old boy and tried kidnaping him at the CVS at 74th and Collins Thursday. The child’s father stopped the attempted abduction, according to a Miami Beach Police report. Nicolas Sternaman, 26, is in Miami-Dade jail. @wsvn pic.twitter.com/JbEFhXaCCq
— Sheldon Fox-7 News (@fox_sheldon) February 9, 2024
Video footage shows Sternaman’s appearance in bond court where “the state requested he be held in jail without bond until trial, the judge granting that request,” according to a WPLG report on February 11.
The suspect was also ordered to stay away from the family:
Meanwhile, additional body cam footage shows an officer talking with Hassan, who spoke in Spanish, about the incident.
“He grabbed him by the neck. If I were not behind him, he would have killed him,” the father explained.
The father and a witness reportedly chased the suspect for several blocks until police were able to take the man into custody, WPLG reported:
“Thank goodness dad fought back, thank goodness he was able to chase the guy down, and thank goodness Miami Beach Police were in the area to make an arrest,” a reporter for the outlet said.
