A man was taken into custody by Miami Beach police after a harrowing incident in which he was accused of attempting to abduct a young boy from a CVS pharmacy. The episode, captured on surveillance and police bodycam footage, showed 26-year-old Nicolas Metternich Sternaman violently grabbing the 4-year-old by the neck in a frightening act that could have turned tragic had the father not intervened promptly. NBC Miami obtained video footage documenting both Sternaman's arrest and the father's shock in the aftermath of the attempted abduction that took place on Feb. 8.

Following a brief struggle with the child's father, Sternaman fled the scene, pursued vehemently by a witness who had been present during the incident. The good Samaritan, a tourist from Tampa, provided a pivotal role in aiding police to locate and arrest Sternaman. As Sternaman was taken into custody outside, the shocked family of the near-victim sat in the backseat of a police vehicle, trying to comprehend the almost-crime witnessed, with 7News exclusive footage depicting the parents' visible distress during a harrowing encounter one might expect out of a crime thriller.

"Bro! This guy is about to get away! So, I just ran him down," the good Samaritan, identified as Deven Surajpal, said in a statement obtained by 7News. Surajpal, who indicated his disbelief at witnessing such a crime in broad daylight, told officers, "This is crazy man, broad daylight, trying to snatch the victim, just like that out of nowhere!"

Upon Sternaman's detention, bodycam footage revealed officers going through the motions, shaking him down to ensure no concealed items were in his possession. "Don't even question him…we shook him good, right? Nothing on him? We shook him, you're sure, we patted him down really good? There was nothing on him, no IDs, nothing?" an officer is heard saying in a video provided by NBC6. Troubled by the incident, the child's father, who had just arrived from Cuba, told officers in Spanish, "He grabbed him by the neck, if I'm not behind him, he would have killed him," portraying the potential danger of the situation if he had not taken immediate action.

Currently held without bond in jail, Sternaman faces charges of aggravated kidnapping of a child under 13 and battery. He has recently appeared in court to assess his mental fitness to stand trial, during which Miami-Dade Judge David H. Young acknowledged his presumption of competency. According to 7News, Judge Young scheduled another hearing for this chilling case of attempted abduction.