Man fights off woman attempting to kidnap great-granddaughter in Long Beach, mother says
LONG BEACH, Long Island (WABC) -- A frightened family is speaking out after a great-grandfather had to fight off a woman, who allegedly attempted to kidnap his great-granddaughter in Long Beach earlier this week.
The 79-year-old man was walking his great-granddaughter on Monday when a woman allegedly tried to kidnap the child, according to the girl's mother.
The family did not want their names or faces shown on camera, but the mother told Eyewitness News that it was around noon when the unthinkable happened.
Exclusive video shows the moments before the attack. In the video, the great-grandfather is seen pushing the stroller. Moments later, Heather Mangone, who is a licensed social worker, ran over to the great-grandfather.
Long Beach police say the 40-year-old woman was claiming the baby was hers. She started unbuckling the safety straps and tried to take the 14-month-old from the stroller.
Police say the baby's great-grandfather was able to get the woman to the ground with one hand and held onto the stroller with the other.
Neighbors then ran out to help and called 911.
The great-grandfather called the parents who rushed to the scene and were reunited with their child.
The mother told Eyewitness News that she doesn't even want to think about what could have happened if the baby was taken.
"My grandfather, he is going to be 80," she said. "He could have not fought her off. She could have torn her out of the stroller. She could have knocked him down. He could have gotten hurt if he wasn't fighting for dear life. I think it was a mixture of adrenaline and of course making sure his great-granddaughter was OK."
Eyewitness News reached out to Mangone's lawyer for comment and have not yet heard back.
She was arraigned, and bail was set at 50,000 cash or $100,000 bond.
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