Concerned neighbors sprang into action when a Florida woman scooped up a 3-year-old boy from his backyard and tried walking off with him — later claiming she only wanted to help the child, according to police and new bodycam footage.
Pamela Monsalve, 39, is facing a kidnapping charge after nearby good Samaritans saw her reach over a fence and pick up the tot while he was playing outside his home in Hallandale Beach on Nov. 25, according to an arrest report obtained by NBC 6.
As she allegedly began walking away with the child in her arms, neighbors quickly swarmed her and asked what she was doing with one local taking a photo and alerting the child’s mother.
At one point, a pair of neighbors called on her to stop walking, according to surveillance footage obtained by Local 10.
Monsalve let the child go, and he raced back home before the police arrested her.
“Make sure you pay attention to your kids, your surroundings, make sure you know your neighbors and your neighbors know you,” Hallandale Beach Police Capt. Megan Jones told the station.
“This is an example of ‘know thy neighbor’ and those neighbors were able to help prevent this child from being permanently taken.”
Monsalve attempted to justify her actions by claiming she was trying to take care of the child, according to bodycam footage obtained by NBC 6.
“He was outside, he was naked,” she said on video. “Everything was naked and I asked for the people around to call police and nobody would call police.”
She also claimed he was on a playground, video shows, according to Local 10.
Authorities reportedly said the suspect and the young victim’s family don’t know each other.
“I can’t imagine what act can cause more extreme fear, distress in a parent than having somebody, not knowing who, go into their property, their fenced-in property and removing their 3-year-old child,” a prosecutor said last week during a hearing, according to WSNV.
Monsalve is in custody without bond as of Monday night, local outlets reported.