Shocking save! Mother's heroic instinct comes to the rescue in NYC kidnapping
Queens, New York - A 5-year-old boy ran just a few feet in front of his mother when, within seconds, he was snatched away in an attempted kidnapping in broad daylight. Incredibly, her motherly instinct saved the day.
The child was walking with his siblings and mother in Queens, New York around 8 PM on Thursday night.
As they passed a red parked car, a man suddenly jumped out of it, ran up to the boy, and grabbed him.
His mother could hardly believe her eyes. Immediately, her quick thinking and protective maternal instinct kicked in.
She ran after the stranger in a panic, who had thrown the boy into the back seat of the car. Another man was also sitting in the vehicle, and the two attempted to drive away.
His mother managed to pull her terrified son through the open window of the car to safety, just in time. Her other children also frantically helped.
On Friday, the NYPD confirmed they had arrested the perpetrator, 24-year-old James McGonagle from Queens.
The second suspect is thought to be his father, but remains missing.
A motive is not yet known.
Mother warns other parents: "Be aware of your surroundings!"
The heroic mother has since been identified as Dolores Diaz Lopez (45), who said she and her children were on their way to visit her husband at work when McGonagle launched his attack.
"I just said, 'Oh my God, my kids, oh my God, my boy,'" Diaz Lopez told ABC7.
She said she acted out of fear and knowing she had no other choice.
"You have to do what's necessary no matter what," she explained. "The car was just parked there. I would never have imagined that a man would get out of the car and grab my son."
Diaz Lopez and her children are still in shock, and were so shaken afterwards that they were hesitant to leave the house.
McGonagle was apprehended at nearby Brookdale Hospital. The reason he was there is unknown.
He has additionally been charged with assaulting a member of law enforcement, after punching an officer in the face who was attempting to take his fingerprints while in custody.
Diaz Lopez issued a warning to other parents after the harrowing experience.
"You always have to be aware of your surroundings and not be on your phone," she said. "There are a lot of evil people and you never know who is near."
Cover photo: NYPDnews