Shocking video footage has revealed the moment a masked man attempted to kidnap a young Jewish boy as he walked to synagogue with his father in broad daylight.
The terrifying incident unfolded at around 3:30pm on Saturday as a father and his 6-year-old son were walking to a sabbath gathering on Kingston Avenue in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Stephen Sowe, 28, was arrested after he was captured on chilling security camera footage suddenly trying to yank the young boy from his father’s arms, pulling his body so hard his feet could be seen leaving the ground.
Despite the man’s forceful attempts, the father never lost his grip on the child and the alleged kidnap attempt was unsuccessful.
Stowe, a gang member with 33 prior arrests, was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping on Sunday, authorities and sources told the New York Post.
Shocking video footage has revealed the moment a masked man attempted to kidnap a young Jewish boy as he walked to synagogue with his father in broad daylight
The terrifying incident unfolded at around 3:30pm on Saturday as a father and his 6-year-old son were walking to a sabbath gathering on Kingston Avenue in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn
He was also charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child and harassment and held without bail in his Monday evening arraignment.
Now the family has revealed the suspected kidnapper, who has since been arrested, is their neighbor.
The mother of the child describes him as always being ‘nice’ and said he has never acted ‘unusual.’
‘He’d always hold the door, he always was nice,’ the mother told ABC7.
The mother, who has not been named, said the family has heard from other locals that Stowe may have been having a ‘bad day’ prior to the attempted kidnapping.
‘I don’t think it was a hate crime, but it was scary. It was like a scary incident. When you live in New York, you don’t expect someone to attack a six-year-old and take him away from his parents,’ she adds.
Stephen Sowe, 28, was arrested after he was captured on chilling security camera footage suddenly trying to yank the young boy from his father’s arms, pulling his body so hard his feet could be seen leaving the ground
Although the mother said she doesn’t think it was necessarily a hate crime, the suspect has a lengthy rap sheet – including past antisemitic attacks.
The suspect’s lengthy criminal history includes a number of prior charges, including weapon possession, drug offenses, and domestic violence, according to the New York Post.
In 2013, Stowe was arrested for aggravated harassment as a hate crime of a Jewish man wearing a yammaka on a subway, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Stowe and a group of friends allegedly approached the Jewish man and said ‘Assalamu Alaikum.’
Sources claim Stowe is a member of the G-Stone Crips gang.
Most recently, Stowe attempted to strangle his girlfriend in a violent fit of rage, according to criminal complaints obtained by the Post.
Stowe, a gang member with 33 prior arrests, was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping on Sunday, authorities and sources told the New York Post
He became ‘verbally and physically aggressive’ and refused to leave his girlfriend’s apartment before kicking through the victim’s door, and strangling her on top of her dresser while trying to lock her in the room.
The terrifying incident has left the family shaken but grateful that their son was not harmed during the shocking attack.
Since Oct 7, there have been over 10,000 antisemitic incidents recorded in the US, according to the ADL – that is the highest number ever recorded by the organization in a one-year period.
