Video footage captured the horrifying moment a man attempted to abduct a 3-year-old girl from a mall in Virginia. 26-year-old Andres Caceres Jaldin was identified as the man who swiftly snatched up the toddler, according to the New York Post.
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Man Caught On Video Abducting Toddler In Mall
This incident happened at the Fair Oaks Shopping Center on July 18. The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office shared the security footage, which has since gone viral online.
The man, diagnosed with schizophrenia, began sneaking up to the little girl as she wandered away from an indoor play area. Jaldin knelt down to her level, slowly picked her up, and began walking into a clothing store.
NBC Washington reported that Jaldin took her up to the second floor of the JCPenney. Once the girl’s father realized she was missing, he called his wife. Luckily, she happened to be shopping in that same store and spotted Jaldin carrying her daughter.
Court records say that once she confronted him, Jaldin returned her to her mother. He claimed he was only trying to help find her parents, but there’s more to this story.
A History Of Crimes
Police revealed that Jaldin was driving a stolen car when he left the mall that day. They traced the vehicle to a hotel in Chantilly, where they arrested him that same day.
This hasn’t been the only incident on Jaldin’s record. The man has numerous charges of assault and battery, malicious wounding, and property destruction in 2024. Court records listed his victims as his mother, father, and brother.
On top of that, someone accused him of assaulting his family while he was awaiting trial outside of jail. Once a psychiatric evaluation diagnosed Jaldin with schizophrenia, the charges were dropped.
Now, with this new incident, police have charged Jaldin with abduction of a minor and grand larceny. They are holding him in Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.