A woman allegedly snatched a three-year-old boy from a Florida neighborhood backyard and bolted down the street, prompting quick-thinking neighbors to intervene and save the child.
Pamela Monsalve, 39, is now facing serious charges after the November 25 episode.
Bodycam footage obtained by news outlets captured the chaotic aftermath, with the accused woman repeatedly insisting she shouldn’t be arrested.
Highlights
- Woman allegedly snatched a 3-year-old boy from his Florida backyard.
- Pamela Monsalve was arrested after neighbors intervened to save the child.
- “I gave it back! I gave it back!” she said just moments before officers handcuffed her and took her into custody.
- She was charged with confining a child under 13 without parental consent.
A woman, identified as Pamela Monsalve, is accused of scooping a three-year-old boy from his home's yard in a Florida neighborhood
Image credits: Hallandale Beach Police via WSVN-TV
“I gave it back! I gave it back!” she said just moments before officers handcuffed her and took her into custody.
The incident took place when the three-year-old was playing in the backyard of his Hallandale Beach home while his mother was inside.
Neighbors spotted Pamela reaching over the fence and scooping the child out of the yard. Bystanders alerted the mother, and one of them managed to take a picture of the alleged kidnapper.
Quick-thinking neighbors stepped in to stop the Hallandale Beach woman from running away with the child
Image credits: Hallandale Beach Police via WSVN-TV
Pamela placed the child down after some neighbors chased her down the street. The minor boy then ran back to his mother, who then called the police.
Bodycam footage captured officers questioning the arrested woman about her actions.
“He was outside, he was naked, he was, like, with his shirt, and his… everything was naked,” Pamela told the responding officers. “And I asked for the people around to call police, and nobody would call police, and I told the little boy ‘Where’s your mom?’ and he said ‘no.’”
The woman was arrested and charged with confining a child under 13 without the consent of a parent
Image credits: Hallandale Beach Police via WSVN-TV
When one officer asked for the location of the “playground,” she said: “Outside the, the… outside the, um… hotel.”
She insisted she shouldn’t be arrested because she “gave it back.”
“I got the little boy, and everyone was like, don’t get the little boy, and I’m like, I gave it back to the mom,” she said. “I gave it back!”
Officials said the woman had no prior connection with the boy’s family.
“I gave it back! I gave it back!” Pamela said just moments before officers handcuffed her and took her into custody
Image credits: Hallandale Beach Police via WSVN-TV
The child did not suffer any physical harm following the incident.
Soon after her arrest, Pamela appeared in court on Tuesday, November 26, and was denied bail.
Prosecutors condemned her actions and touched upon how such acts affect parents.
“I can’t imagine what act can cause more extreme fear, distress in a parent than having somebody, not knowing who, go into their property, their fenced-in property and removing their three-year-old child,” the prosecutor said in court.
Prosecutors condemned her actions during a court session and said it could cause “extreme fear, distress in a parent”
Image credits: Hallandale Beach Police via WSVN-TV
When Pamela tried to make a statement in court, her attorney asked her to stay mum.
“Ma’am, don’t say anything. Ma’am don’t say anything,” her lawyer said.
“Anything you say can be used against you in a future date and everything is being recorded,” the judge told her.
Pamela is currently being held without bond and was charged with confining a child under 13 without the consent of a parent.
Officials stressed the importance of neighbors' interventions in preventing such instances from taking place
Hallandale Beach Police Capt. Megan Jones offered some advice to parents and guardians to prevent such incidents.
“Make sure you pay attention to your kids, your surroundings, make sure you know your neighbors and your neighbors know you,” Megan told NBC 6.
She also highlighted the importance of the neighbors’ intervention in the recent example involving the three-year-old boy.
“This is an example of ‘know thy neighbor’ and those neighbors were able to help prevent this child from being permanently taken,” she added.