Police in Philadelphia are trying to identify the parents of a child who was the victim of an attempted kidnapping at a Dunkin’ Donuts in the city over the weekend.
Surveillance video captured the incident, which took place shortly before 10:15 a.m. Sunday in the 1400 block of Locust Street, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
Investigators released the footage on Wednesday as they asked for the public’s help to identify the victim’s parents.
“What we see on the video is what appears to be an attempt to abduct a baby, who was in a stroller,” Philadelphia police Capt. Sekou Kinebrew told local television station KYW.
The video shows a couple inside the Dunkin’ Donuts, when a man suddenly approaches a stroller from behind and places his hands on the child sitting in it. A woman can be seen standing next to the stroller, with her back turned to the stranger.
When the woman realized her child was being touched, she immediately turned and hit the man before grabbing the stroller. A man can then be seen lunging at the stranger. He pushes him away from the child before chasing him outside.
The stranger was still at the scene when police responded, and he was temporarily detained, KYW reported.
By that time, the parents had left.
Police blurred the couple’s faces in the video, but nevertheless were hoping someone out there could identify the pair.
“It’s a rather peculiar set of circumstances, and we are actually asking for the parents — or who we believe to be the parents — to come forward and maybe give us a better idea of what happened out there,” Kinebrew said.
A witness who called police to report the attempted kidnapping told KYW in an off-camera interview that the man is a regular who is known for strange, sometimes lewd behavior, the station reported.
Before touching the child, the man shouted, “That’s my baby,” the witness said.
The man has not been charged, and police said they need the couple to step forward to help build a case, according to the station.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call 215-686-8477 or text a tip to 773847.
CNN contributed to this story.
