A chaotic and frightening scene unfolded at Miami International Airport when a woman allegedly tried to snatch a 4-year-old boy from his mother, according to multiple reports citing the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened around 4 a.m. Tuesday, September 2, while the boy was crying at a checkpoint with his mom. That’s when authorities say 23-year-old Alvina Omisiri Agba approached them and offered to calm him down. The boy’s mother agreed and handed him over, but instead of soothing him, Agba allegedly walked out of line and began heading away with the child.
The stunned mother quickly followed and demanded her son back, but Agba reportedly refused. “No, this is my child,” she allegedly said as she wrapped her arms and legs around the boy to keep him from moving.
The mother tried to wrestle her son away, but Agba allegedly pushed her back and clung tightly to the boy’s leg. That’s when bystander Naylet Montano, who is also a mom, rushed over.
“I noticed a woman on the floor, strongly gripping the little boy,” Montano told CBS News Miami. “In that moment, I realized the boy was in danger. I grabbed him and ran. The woman on the ground got up and tried to take the boy back from me. I wouldn’t let her.”
Montano said she sprinted behind a counter with the boy and crouched down to protect him while Agba allegedly tried to crawl under to reach them. Three men then jumped in, blocking Agba and helping shield the child.
Agba eventually ran off but was caught by police at another checkpoint inside the airport. She allegedly told officers she only wanted to calm the boy by taking him to a wall with a rainbow. She later claimed she took him because “God told her to,” according to the sheriff’s report cited by local outlets.
Authorities took her into custody without further incident. Jail records reviewed by PEOPLE show she was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $3,500 bond. She faces charges of battery and interference with custody.
Thanks to the quick action of Montano and others nearby, the boy was safely reunited with his mother. What started as a routine morning at the airport turned into a nightmare for the family and a chilling reminder of how fast a situation can spiral in a public place.