A shocking incident happened in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on Saturday afternoon, when a masked man tried to kidnap a young Hasidic boy from his father. Watch the recording of the incident captured by the security cameras of the Shomrim Jewish civilian patrol in Crown Heights.
On Saturday around 3:30 p.m., a Crown Heights resident was walking with his two young children when an unknown masked man was seen on security cameras crossing the street and suddenly grabbing one of the children.
Attempted kidnapping of a Hasidic boy in Brooklyn, New York
(Video: Crown Heights Shomrim)
The father reacted quickly, and confronted the man, who immediately released the boy and retreated into a nearby building on Kingston Boulevard. The suspect's motive remains unclear, but authorities are taking the incident seriously, especially since it follows a series of antisemitic attacks in the area in the past two weeks.
The Shomrim and the New York Police Department jointly investigated the incident and identified the suspect, who was taken into custody by police on Saturday night.
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The attempted kidnapping in Crown Heights captured on security cameras
(Video: Shomrim Crown Heights)
"This is an alarming increase in dangerous incidents in the area," Jacob Berman, a Chabad social activist in New York, said.
Last week, there were four serious cases of violence against ultra-Orthodox Jewish residents, including one in which a man was severely beaten. In another case, Jews who were in a kosher cafe were verbally attacked.
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