A 36-year-old man, identified as Jonathan Robalina, has been accused of attempting to kidnap a 6-year-old boy off a busy New York City street. Thankfully, the child’s parents managed to chase him down, which led to his arrest.
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According to the New York Post, the incident occurred at around 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 6. Sharon Robinson, her husband, their baby daughter, and their 6-year-old boy named Rah’Shem “Rah’Rah” Gantt were on a busy Coney Island sidewalk in Brooklyn. The family had enjoyed a day at the beach, followed by a visit to an amusement park.
All of a sudden, however, Rah’Rah began screaming. As shown in a video shared online, Robalina is shown allegedly grabbing the child, in what appears to be an attempt to kidnap him.
The video then shows both Robinson and her husband chasing down Robalina. Robalina, while carrying Rah’Rah, saw the lunging parents and decided to take off, not before throwing the boy to the ground. The parents, however, didn’t stop chasing him down.
“I guess by flinging him down, he must have thought that I was not going to run to him,” Robinson told the outlet. She added, “I was.”
Suspect Arrested
Both parents chased down Robalina onto the streets, as several vehicles and onlookers witnessed the dramatic incident. Reportedly, Robinson managed to push Robalina down near a candy shop. Eventually, police officers arrived and arrested the suspect.
“This man’s on the ground for two minutes without anyone handcuffing him,” Robinson added.
Due to the fall, Rah’Rah complained of minor pain and was transported to Coney Island Hospital. He is listed in stable condition, although he had to be comforted by his parents as he cried “non-stop.”
Meanwhile, Jonathan Robalina was charged with assault and attempted kidnapping.
Sharon Robinson is thankful that they managed to prevent any tragedy from occurring.
“If Rah’Rah hadn’t made that loud scream, that man would have taken him and done whatever he wanted to do with him,” Robinson said. “Maybe take him under the boardwalk and rape him and kill him.”
The mother added that they want “full charges on him,” adding that they had never met Robalina before the incident.