A shocking incident occurred in Florida when 56-year-old Jose Reynaldo Martinez Reyes was arrested and charged with kidnapping and interference with custody.
Reyes was caught with six-year-old Jake Rivera a mile away from the boy’s home on Saturday.
The young boy had been playing soccer with his older brother in front of their home in Miami when the older brother went inside to use the bathroom, leaving Rivera unattended.
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This is when Reyes approached the child.
According to the Miami-Dade Police Department, surveillance footage from a neighbor’s house, obtained by NBC6, shows Reyes kicking a soccer ball with Rivera.
After briefly playing, Reyes wrapped his arm around the child and led him away from the house.
Police stated that after befriending the boy, Reyes lured him away from the residence by promising to buy him a toy.
Rivera later recounted the interaction, saying, “The guy came over to me and said, ‘Do you wanna come with me?’ And I said sure.”
After Rivera’s older brother returned and realized the child was missing, he quickly sought help from a cousin, and the two began searching for Rivera.
Alfredo Velasquez, the cousin, described the moment he was woken up to the news of Rivera’s disappearance, saying, “I was sleeping and my cousin woke me up and said my little cousin was abducted by a man.”
The pair found Reyes and Rivera walking hand in hand along a roadway more than a mile from the child’s home.
Rivera’s older brother confronted Reyes, who claimed the boy was his child.
A physical struggle ensued as the brother attempted to regain control of Rivera. “His older brother came in, pushed him and punched him just to get his brother back, put him in the car,” Velasquez said.
Following an investigation, it was determined that Reyes had no familial connection to Rivera or anyone involved in the incident.
He was a stranger to the child and had no legitimate reason to be with him.
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A shocking incident occurred in Florida when 56-year-old Jose Reynaldo Martinez Reyes was arrested and charged with kidnapping and interference with custody.
Reyes was caught with six-year-old Jake… pic.twitter.com/05TZ5OTNKM
— RVM News (@redvoicenews) December 31, 2024
This case follows another high-profile attempted kidnapping that occurred in November in New York.
Video footage showed a masked man attempting to abduct a six-year-old Jewish boy as he walked to synagogue with his father in broad daylight in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
In that incident, 28-year-old Stephen Sowe, a known gang member with 33 prior arrests, tried to forcefully yank the child from his father’s arms.
Despite Sowe’s efforts, the father held onto the boy, preventing the abduction.
Sowe, who had been captured on security cameras, was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping, harassment, and acting in a manner injurious to a child.
He was held without bail following his arraignment.
These two incidents highlight the ongoing dangers faced by children and the importance of community vigilance in preventing such crimes.
Both cases have led to widespread attention and concern about the safety of young children in public spaces.
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