WATCH: Mom Stops Kidnapping Attempt By Pulling Her Son Out Car Window
By Bill Galluccio
July 17, 2021
A New York City mother didn't hesitate when a man tried to kidnap her five-year-old son off the streets of Queens. Dolores Diaz Lopez was walking with her children when James McGonagle jumped out of a car and grabbed her son. He tossed the boy in the backseat of his car and got in the driver's seat.
Before McGonagle could drive away, the young boy opened the rear window, and his mother was able to pull him out of the car.
"You have to do what's necessary, no matter what," Diaz Lopez told WABC in Spanish. "The car was just parked there. I would never have imagined that a man would get out of the car and grab my son. You always have to be aware of your surroundings and not be on your phone."
McGonagle was taken into custody at a local hospital where he went to receive treatment for an undisclosed reason. Officers who were at the hospital for a different matter recognized him from the surveillance video and took him into custody. He is currently being evaluated at the hospital. He is facing charges of attempted kidnapping, reckless endangerment, and acting in a manner injurious to a child. Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the abduction.
Authorities are also looking for a second suspect who was sitting in the passenger's seat. He is described as a white male with a bald head and glasses. He was last seen wearing an orange shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.