Young man arrested on suspicion of kidnapping boy found in Bnei Brak, police say

Police announce the arrest of a roughly 20-year-old man who allegedly kidnapped a child and took him to Bnei Brak overnight.

The boy from the central city of Petah Tikva, who is about 10 years old, was reported missing in the evening and was located in Bnei Brak alongside the suspect “following widespread searches and many actions that included the use of technological means,” police say.

The two were brought to the Petah Tikva police station and the suspect, a Jerusalem resident, was taken into custody following an interrogation, police add.

The boy’s mother tells Channel 12 that her son was playing with other children at a playground “and at some point a 19-year-old came and frightened them.”

The mother says the other children ran away but her son stayed.

The man claimed he had no cash and got the boy to help him collect money from other people, including a police officer, the mother says.

The man “bought him a pizza and played with him until the wee hours of the night. We went through very difficult hours until he was found,” says the mother.

She adds that the boy said nothing else happened.