Stranger nearly kidnaps toddler in Haarlem supermarket; Similar crime reported in December

A couple in Haarlem got the fright of their life on Monday when their 4-year-old grandson was nearly abducted while they were shopping at a Vomar supermarket. A strange man picked up the boy at the play corner of the store and tried to walk off with him. His grandfather was luckily nearby and managed to stop it, the boy's grandmother wrote on Facebook.

According to the grandmother, the boy was playing in the store's play corner while she was shopping for groceries. His grandfather was hanging around nearby. "He was playing sweetly when two men approached. One walked on and the other walked to my grandson, stroking his head, picking him up and wanting to walk away", the grandmother said. The grandfather saw this and shouted at the man to "stay away from him". He took his grandson and went to find his wife.

The shaken grandparents immediately went to the service counter to ask for video recordings of the play area. The manager was busy, but promised to contact them, the grandmother said. "I know that Vomar is not liable, but I would like to warn everyone", the woman wrote. "If my husband hadn't been there, my grandson would probably have been taken."

Employees of the store confirmed the incident to RTL Nieuws and told the broadcaster that they have "very clear" footage of the attempted abduction. The couple did not want to comment to the broadcaster.

A similar incident happened at a Haarlem market in December last year. A stranger picked up a 2-year-old toddler and ran off with the child. Bystanders managed to overpower the man.