Neighbor attempts to snatch Brooklyn boy from his father in broad daylight

In a confrontation captured on security footage, a masked man tried to grab a 6-year-old boy who was holding hands with his father in Brooklyn, NY, Saturday afternoon, but his father never lost his grip. The man has now been arrested, and New York police call it an attempted kidnapping, but there’s still no clear motive for the crime.

The young boy and his father have not been identified in the press. Reportedly, they are Hasidic Jews who were on their way to a Shabbos gathering Saturday when the man, later identified as their neighbor, approached them and grabbed the boy with such force his feet were lifted from the ground, as the footage shows.

The boy’s father, walking hand-in-hand with the boy and another child, kept holding on to the boy’s hand and confronted and pushed the man away until he finally gave up and entered a nearby building. A source close to the family later said no words were exchanged during the altercation.

The suspect was having a “bad day,” neighbors said

On Sunday, 28-year-old Stephan Stowe, the family’s neighbor, was arrested on charges related to the incident. The boy’s mother told ABC 7 New York that Stowe was their neighbor, they had no issues with him in the past, and that other neighbors told her he had been having a bad day when the incident happened. “He’d always hold the door, he always was nice,” she said.

According to the New York Post, Stowe, now facing acting in a manner injurious to a child and harassment charges, is a known G-Stone Crips gang member with a lengthy criminal record involving physical and verbal assault, as well as weapons possession, among other charges.

Was it a hate crime?

According to the Anti-Defamation League, New York City has faced an epidemic of anti-semitic violence in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and the Israeli government response in Gaza and elsewhere in the region. This raises the possibility the boy may have been targeted because he’s Jewish.

The boy’s mother said, “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.” The boy’s mother said her son was extremely frightened by what happened and he would be offered therapy.

Stowe has mental health issues, his friend said

Speaking with New York news outlet Pix 11, Stowe’s friend said the suspect has known mental health issues, but he would never attempt to kidnap a child regardless of how the footage looks.

“I would understand if he picked the kid up and tried to [run],” the friend said. “I get it… It looks a certain way on camera,” he said. He added Stowe was “having a crisis” and had been checked in and out of hospitals.” The boy’s mother added, “[Stowe] should not be released and should get the help he needs.”