MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A Florida man is accused of grabbing 4-year-old boy from a CVS store in Miami Beach, prosecutors said.
Nicolas Metternich Sternaman, 26, was arrested on Thursday, according to Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation online booking records. He was charged with aggravated child abuse for kidnapping a child under 13, a felony; and a misdemeanor battery charge, records show.
According to police and surveillance video at a CVS in Miami Beach, a man, later identified as Sternaman, was seen walking into the store on Collins Avenue and 74th Street in the city’s North Beach neighborhood at about 11:54 a.m. EST on Thursday. He quickly turned to bend down and grab the boy by his neck as the child was leaving with his family, WPLG-TV reported.
The boy was lifted off the ground before his father quickly intervened, grabbing the suspect in a bearhug and pulling off his jacket, according to the television station.
The child fell on his back but was not hurt, according to WPLG. Sternaman fled the scene, leaving his jacket behind.
The boy’s father and another witness chased after the suspect, WTVJ reported.
Police officers arrested Sternaman several blocks away on Harding Avenue near 71st Street in Miami Beach, according to WPLG.
Bail was set for $1,000 on the misdemeanor charge, Miami-Dade County online court records show.
Sternaman had been scheduled to appear before a judge on Friday but refused twice, WSVN-TV reported. He eventually appeared in court and was denied bond.
The state also said that they needed to review the tape to see if the incident was an attempted kidnapping.
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