Surveillance video released by a community patrol group in New York City shows the terrifying moment a masked man in Brooklyn tried kidnapping a 6-year-old boy in broad daylight — snatching him away from his father as they walked down the street together.
Stephan Stowe, 28, was arrested Sunday and charged with second-degree kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment for the alleged incident, which was caught on tape Saturday and shared online by the Crown Heights Shomrim Patrol — a private patrol group for New York‘s Jewish community — in coordination with the NYPD’s 71st Precinct, which made the arrest.
“This deeply concerning incident took place in the heart of Crown Heights,” the group wrote on X. “Kudos to the father for his quick action.”
In the video, the boy’s father can be seen on tape walking near 451 Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights and holding hands with his son and another child. Stowe can allegedly be seen scurrying up to the trio and making his move. The boy’s father quickly pulls his son back toward him after the alleged kidnapping attempt and shoves Stowe before fleeing, according to officials.
Police say Stowe is a career criminal with over 30 arrests on his record, including criminal possession of a weapon. It’s unclear why he tried kidnapping the boy.
Over the last few weeks, members of Crown Heights’ Orthodox Jewish community have been targeted in multiple attacks and alleged hate crimes, per the Jerusalem Post. One Jewish man had to reportedly be treated for 18 stitches after being slashed in the face by an assailant who shouted, “f— you guys,” in reference to Jewish people, the Post reports. Reports of “antisemitic hit-and-run squads” attacking Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam also circulated over the weekend, with Dutch officials saying they are “horrified” by an apparent rise in antisemitism that they’ve seen, per Reuters.
“Something is clearly going on in Crown Heights,” wrote Chabad rep Yaacov Behrman on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. “There have been incident after incident over the past two weeks.”
Officials with the Anti-Defamation League on Saturday said they were probing the “disturbing incident” that was caught on CCTV and reaching out to “law enforcement and community partners to learn more.”
Behrman, who has been in contact with the father, said the man expressed “appreciation for the immediate action taken by law enforcement” to catch Stowe on Sunday and he “also mentioned that his kids are doing okay, everyone is fine, and he is grateful.”
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