A disturbing surveillance video shows the moment a man allegedly tried to kidnap a 4-year-old boy at a Florida Walmart — but the suspect’s wife claimed he was just “joking.”
The footage recorded Friday at the store in Lehigh Acres shows the alleged would-be kidnapper, later identified as Pablo Pintueles Hernandez, 64, walking up to the tot, who was shopping with his family, and grabbing him by the wrist.
Hernandez allegedly told the child “Let’s go” before trying to lead him away, but the boy’s relatives quickly intervened and got him away from the suspect, authorities said.
Hernandez, who was with his wife, then stalked off to finish his shopping and left the store.
“Deputies tirelessly worked alongside our Real Time Intelligence Center Analysts to identify the suspect,” the Lee County Sheriff’s Office stated. “Together, analysts and deputies utilized advanced technology to quickly identify and locate Pintueles Hernandez.”
Within an hour of the thwarted kidnapping, deputies arrived at Hernandez’s home and arrested him on a charge of false imprisonment of a child 13 years old and under.
“What this criminal did is incredibly disturbing,” stated Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “I never want anyone in Lee County to feel unsafe, especially going on a simple shopping trip.”
“My team will stop at NOTHING to ensure criminals like this face the consequences of their actions,” he added.
According to an arrest report obtained by The Post, the 4-year-old was at the Walmart with his mother and two sisters when Hernandez approached him and grabbed his wrist.
It was one of the boy’s sisters who stepped in and led her brother away from the suspect. She later told cops she felt “scared” for the tot’s safety.
Hernandez’s wife, Odalis Vaillant Leyva, who was with him, told deputies that her husband is “outgoing and frequently jokes with children, calling them ‘Papito.’ Leyva has warned her husband against these interactions because other people do not interpret the interactions the same way he does,” the report stated.
When interviewed by a deputy, Hernandez allegedly confirmed that he grabbed the child’s wrist and the boy started to walk away with him, before his sister “got upset and grabbed the boy’s other arm,” the report read.
Leyva told the boy’s sister that her husband “was joking” before the pair walked away.
“Hernandez explained this is part of his personality; he likes interacting with children and has done similar things on prior occasions,” the report said. “Hernandez stated he had no intention of leaving with the child.”
Hernandez was released from jail on New Year’s Eve after posting a $100,000 bond. He is due back in court on Jan. 29.
