Palm Beach Gardens, FL– A 37-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly trying to kidnap a child from a playground.
The incident was said to have taken place at the San Merano at Mirasol apartment complex playground Sunday.
The child’s mother told authorities that she was at the playground with her 8-year-old daughter and her 4-year-old son around 7 p.m. when a strange man, shirtless man grabbed her 4-year-old.
The child’s sister attempted to free her brother, however, the suspect pushed her head down so she started screaming.
The child was eventually freed and the suspect attempted to leave the area after several parents threatened to call the police.
A neighbor Lee Hurley, was walking his dogs at the time and says he heard the victim’s sister scream so he took action.
“The gentleman had tried to leave the park after, you know, he was told the cops were coming. He approached me and tried to do a little stance to attack me. So I had hit him and put him down,” said Hurley.
Many witnesses told reporters that the man was shirtless, shoeless, stumbling around, and mumbling to himself.
“You could tell something wasn’t right. You know, he was being very, very aggressive with the kids,” said resident Lee Hurley.
The suspect, now identified as resident Joseph Gibson, was taken to an area hospital for treatment before being taken into police custody.