A man has been arrested in North Miami after an alleged attempt to kidnap a girl walking home from school, authorities reported. Matthew Duchatelier, 30, is facing charges related to the attempted kidnapping of a child under the age of 13, as recorded in police and court records. The incident occurred last Thursday in the vicinity of the 13500 block of Northeast 10th Avenue, officials stated. NBC Miami provided details of the arrest report.
In a narrative corroborated by surveillance footage, the girl noticed a silver car parked near a construction site, the one turned out to be near her apartment complex as well. Duchatelier allegedly seized the girl from behind and attempted to force her into his car as she entered the rear gate of the complex. Luckily, the girl was able to break free and the suspect drove away. Eyewitness accounts and video evidence have been critical in piecing together the sequence of the events, in addition, to aiding in the suspect’s capture, Local 10 News reported.
Duchatelier was identified by investigators despite the girl not recognizing him, led largely by the witness testimonies who observed the entire episode. After his arrest, he appeared before a judge and was appointed a public defender and was ordered to be held without bond. Notably, Duchatelier is under supervised release until December 2029 due to a previous felony battery case where he was given four years of community supervision in April.
Adding to concerns, detectives indicated Duchatelier has a history with sexual offenses. He was previously arrested in October 2024 on allegations of molesting a 13-year-old girl at a T.J. Maxx. "He initially denied the allegations but later claimed he did not remember the incident," according, to investigators from the case. Local 10 News also highlighted this incident, where Duchatelier was caught on video and then seen at a nearby Burger King, wearing the same clothes identified in the surveillance footage. He is now facing one count of attempted kidnapping and has been ordered to stay away from the victim.
As the investigation continues, the North Miami Police Department is seeking additional surveillance footage to determine if Duchatelier targeted other victims and urges anyone with information to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
