Drunk man tries to snatch baby in New York

NEW YORK - A drunken man tried repeatedly to yank a baby in a stroller away from a mother on a Queens sidewalk.

It happened Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019 at about 8:30 p.m.  The man approached the 29-year-old victim while she was pushing her 10-month old child, Kayla, in a stroller on 111 St. in Elmhurst.

Blanca Aucanshala told the Daily News the man was urinating on a nearby car when he grabbed her from behind and tried to pull the stroller away.

"He asked me three times," for the baby, Blanca Aucanshala said, "and I told him to back away because I would not give him my daughter."

A bystander stepped in and scared off the man. But he soon came back and followed the mother into a store where she dashed to the back and called the police. He ran off as sirens approached.

"Why the baby?" asked Aucanshala, a single mother from Ecuador. "Just take my phone or purse. Those are things that I can earn back."

Police released a surveillance video of the man that was captured after the incident.  They asked the public for help finding him. He’s described as Hispanic, 5'5", with brown eyes, black hair, and a thin build.  He was wearing a green hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, and red sneakers.
 
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.  Police say all calls are strictly confidential.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.