Masked male caught on video allegedly trying to kidnap 6-year-old boy while victim holds his father's hand on sidewalk

A masked male was caught on video allegedly trying to kidnap a 6-year-old boy while the victim was holding his father's hand on a sidewalk in Brooklyn over the weekend.

WABC-TV reported that the 28-year-old male was seen on surveillance videos yanking the boy so hard while he held on to his father's hand that the victim's feet came off the ground — but the the dad and son continued to hold hands tight.

'I don't think it was a hate crime, but it was scary.'

The father is seen on the clip quickly turning around and shoving the culprit, and the incident appears to end at that point.

You can view a video report here about the incident, which includes a pair of surveillance clips showing the suspect grabbing the child.

The incident occurred in front of multiple cameras on a block of Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights around 3:30 p.m. Saturday while the father and son were on their way to a Sabbath gathering, WABC said.

Incredibly, the boy's mother told the station that the suspect is actually their neighbor.

What's more, the couple noted to WABC that they've seen the suspect before and said he's never said or done anything unusual.

"He'd always hold the door, he always was nice," the mother added to the station.

The mother also told WABC she's heard from neighbors that something else was going on with the suspect, and he'd had a bad day.

She added to the station that while members of the Jewish community in the neighborhood already are on edge with a citywide increase in anti-Semitic incidents since October 7 of last year, the mother doesn't believe it was a hate crime.

"I don't think it was a hate crime, but it was scary," she told WABC. "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 mother noted to the station that she's proud of her husband and son for the way they held on to each other and didn't let go.

She added to WABC that her boy will be getting therapy, and her family is hoping justice is served in court.

The station said Stephen Sowe is charged with attempted kidnapping, harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Anything else?

In mid-October, a male was charged with a hate crime after he allegedly hollered, “I’m gonna kill you f***ing Jews!" during Yom Kippur in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn. Police said Muhammad Hashim's alleged outburst was directed at a 43-year-old man in Borough Park, according to the New York Post.

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