A stranger was caught on camera abducting a three-year-old girl while inside a shopping mall.
The incident unfolded inside Fair Oaks Shopping Center, Virginia, on July 18 when the little girl wandered away from an indoor play area and was grabbed.
Disturbing footage released by police showed the moment the toddler was snatched while making her way from the play area to the entrance of a JC Penney.
A man followed her from the play area while on his phone. He bent down to pick up the toddler before he quickly made his way into the store.
The girl’s father realized his daughter was missing and called his wife, who was inside the department store browsing.
Court records seen by NBC say the woman then spotted the man carrying her daughter and confronted him, they managed to get their daughter back unscathed.
Fairfax County Police later identified the man as Andres Caceres Jaldin, 26, and charged him with abduction of a minor and grand larceny.
Jaldin fled the scene but officers caught up with him inside an Extended Stay Hotel in nearby Chantilly.
The man is seen here approaching the three-year-old girl after she wandered from an indoor play area
He quickly swoops down and grabs the girl, quickly making his way inside JC Penney with her in his arms
Police said he had stolen a car from an auto shop prior to grabbing the girl. The vehicle was also recovered inside the hotel parking lot.
According to a criminal complaint Jaldin told officers that he was only trying to help the girl find her parents when he picked her up.
Images captured by authorities show him being held by two police officers following his arrest.
Court records seen by NBC also show that Jaldin had previously faced numerous charges for violent behavior.
He was charged with multiple counts of assault and battery, malicious wounding and property destruction last year.
The court records indicate that the victims in that case are his mother, father and brother.
While out of jail and awaiting trial, he was also accused of assaulting his family, the records said.
After undergoing a psychiatric evaluation as part of the criminal proceedings he was formally diagnosed with schizophrenia.
According to a criminal complaint Jaldin, seen here, told officers that he was only trying to help the girl find her parents when he picked her up
Images captured by authorities show him being held by two police officers following his arrest
All of the charges involving his family were later dropped and he returned home. Fairfax police could not say if he is in the US legally or illegally.
Fairfax County Deputy Chief Frederick Chambers said: ‘Pay close attention to your child because you could see how quickly this child wandered off and was able to be picked up.’
Jaldin is currently being held inside the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on no bond.