The frightened father of the small boy nearly kidnapped at a Florida pharmacy feared his son would’ve been killed if he hadn’t fought off the creep during the disturbing incident.
Hassan Rodriguez was with his 4-year-old son and wife exiting the Miami Beach pharmacy on Collins Avenue when suspect Nicolas Sternaman entered the store at around 11:55 a.m. on February 8.
“He grabbed him by the neck, if I’m not behind him, he would have killed him,” the father told an officer in body camera footage released on Thursday, according to NBC Miami.
The terrified family had just arrived in the area from Cuba.
After walking past the boy’s mother, Sternaman, 26, allegedly hunched over and grabbed the small child by the neck in an attempted abduction, turning his back to Rodriquez.
The quick-thinking dad jumped on the stranger, forcing the child out of his abductor’s grasp and falling to the ground, according to surveillance video from inside the store.
The two men wrestled away from the doors for several seconds as Rodriquez ripped Sternaman’s jacket off.
As Sternaman broke free from the father’s grasp, the two had a small standoff before the creep bolted out the door and ran from the store.
The alleged kidnapper didn’t make it far, as both Rodriquez and another shopper chased after the man.
The other shopper, Deven Surajpal says he called 911, which helped police officers track down Sternaman, according to WSVN.
Officers arrived and swiftly placed Sternaman into custody, only minutes after the attempted kidnapping.
As some cops dealt with the suspect, another went to talk with the distraught father who animatedly recalled what had taken place moments before.
The child and mother were put inside a cop car to protect them as the police investigated Sternaman.
Officers on the scene were shocked to hear some of the details of the incident.
“Little kid, 4-year-old walking — he’s a tourist — walking out with his family behind him, just that comes, grabs him by the head and tries to – and tries to abduct him,” an officer can be heard saying, according to the outlet.
“Strangest thing I ever heard,” one officer said while another suggests how to deal with Sternaman.
“Don’t even question him…we shook him good, right? Nothing on him? We shook him, you’re sure, we patted him down really good? There was nothing on him, no IDs, nothing?” one officer asks.
Surajpal told officers he suspected the man to be on drugs.
“‘Bro! This guy is about to get away!’ So, I just ran him down,” Surajpal told WSVN. “I just saw him in the store and I started running with him.”
“This is crazy man, broad daylight, trying to snatch the victim, just like that out of nowhere!” the good Samaritan said.
“You can’t let him get away doing that! Abduction? Oh, my gosh! What if he would’ve got the baby? What would’ve happened then?”
Before being placed into the back of the police’s car, Sternaman denied having any identity and claimed to be homeless.
Since his arrest, Sternaman has been in jail awaiting trial for his felony attempted kidnapping and misdemeanor battery charges.
On Tuesday, he appeared in court for a hearing on whether he is mentally fit to stand trial.
“You are presumed to be competent to go forward,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge David H. Young.
Sternaman is next scheduled to appear on May 31, according to court records.