A man tried to kidnap a boy from a synagogue in New York: he was prevented by the mother of the child

On January 25, a man tried to kidnap a 9-year-old boy from a synagogue in Brooklyn. But he was prevented by the mother of the child, who saw how he was trying to take her son away, reports New York Post.

The boy attended the circumcision of a relative at the Chesed le Abraham Synagogue on East 7th Street in Gravesend. A man approached him around 9:XNUMX am.

The stranger asked the child to go outside with him. And when he refused, he took him by the shoulders and tried to carry him out through the front door.

According to police, the mother noticed a man who was dragging her son. She rushed to the boy and asked if he knew the man.

When the son answered in the negative, the mother snatched him from the man's arms. The suspect immediately ran away and hid in a nearby yeshiva.

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Yossi Mayer, 42, was taken into custody about an hour later. After that, he was charged with attempted kidnapping, endangering the well-being of a child, and stalking.

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On Wednesday, January 25, Rabbi Lankri expressed concern that law enforcement agencies were jumping to conclusions about Mayer.

“The community is very concerned that we are jumping to conclusions too quickly. By doing so, we endanger human life,” Lancri said. He did not witness the incident, but was "nearby".

“However, if he really had bad intentions, it should be made public,” the rabbi added.

Lancri, who does not personally know either Mayer or the victim, cautioned against immediately judging the situation.

“We need to give [Meyer] a chance to speak,” the rabbi urged. He is innocent until proven guilty. This is what we should all live for.”

Asked if the alleged kidnapping attempt evokes the death of Leiby Kletski, an 8-year-old Hasidic Jewish boy who was kidnapped and murdered in Borough Park in 2011, Lancri said the recent scenario "doesn't even come close" to the previous tragedy. .

“[This situation] may not be what it seems. Perhaps one of the boy's relatives asked Mayer to take the child outside,” the rabbi said.