Attempted Kidnapping Foiled After Alleged Abductor's Truck Fails To Start

A man in San Diego who allegedly tried to abduct a 6-year-old boy was foiled after his truck failed to start, authorities say.

Police arrested 52-year-old Michael Mahurin on multiple counts, including suspicion of kidnapping, following the alleged attempted abduction outside a home in the Fox Canyon neighborhood at 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday, reports NBC San Diego.

The youngster had walked out onto a street following a Fourth of July family party and was waiting for his parents by their vehicle when the suspect grabbed him from behind, per a San Diego Police Department report.

“The suspect placed the victim in the front seat of his truck, told him to lay down and not say anything,” the report added.

When engine troubles prevented the man from driving off, an unsuspecting neighbor reportedly came to his aid by trying to help him jump-start his vehicle.

The boy’s parents then came outside and, after realizing their son was missing, began looking for him, the report said. Police say one of the child’s relatives asked the suspect to help them find the boy, and then allegedly spotted the boy in the truck’s front seat.

“The victim’s family held the suspect at the location until police arrived” and the suspect “was arrested on the scene,” the police report concluded.

Mahurin is currently being held in San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of kidnapping, false imprisonment, illegal possession of a controlled substance and driving without a valid license on $105,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.