Police say a mother in Queens took matters into her own hands when her teenage daughter was in danger of being kidnapped on January 23.
The incident occurred inside the Astoria apartment building. Adriana Alvarez realized what was happening and ran after the deli worker accused of stalking her 18-year-old daughter, identified as Lex, the New York Post reported Sunday.
A doorbell camera showed Lex coming to their front door after walking the family’s dogs. Seconds later, the suspect identified as 25-year-old George Vassiliou ran up behind her and apparently tried to drag the young woman down the stairs.
However, Alvarez, who weighs 130 pounds, heard the commotion and attempted to rescue her daughter. She struggled with the man, who weighs 230 pounds, down four flights of stairs.
When the group approached the building’s front door, Vassiliou allegedly hit Alvarez in the face and then pepper-sprayed the two women.
A neighbor who heard the mother’s cries for help and saw what was happening began hitting the suspect with a stick. The violence finally ended when the pair was able to break away from the suspect. Another neighbor held onto the man until law enforcement arrived to take over.
Alvarez suffered a dislocated shoulder, fractured orbital socket, and a broken elbow during the altercation. Meanwhile, authorities have charged the suspect with attempted kidnapping, assault, weapon possession, unlawful possession of noxious matter, harassment, and violating an order of protection.
For now, he is being held on Rikers Island, and records say the man’s bail was set at $50,000.
According to the Post, Vassiliou rented a car the night before the altercation. Officers found rope, sleeping pills, melatonin, and tampons inside the vehicle when they searched it.
When they searched the suspect, officers recovered a knife in his pocket.
The teenage girl had previously worked with the suspect at a supermarket. When he asked her to go on a date and she refused, the man allegedly began stalking her.
Alvarez claimed he had tried to kidnap her daughter two times in the past. Therefore, the family had a restraining order placed on him.
When recalling the violent ordeal and how she handled it, the mother said, “No one was taking my baby.”
Social media users shared their thoughts on the Post report, and one individual wrote, “Why 2nd amendment matters,” while another user said, “Go mom. Now apply for a carry permit.”
A Breitbart News article published in May said that “A Fox News report on surging female gun ownership includes a focus on a 2022 Gallup Poll showing 22 percent of women now say they own guns.”
In January, leaders with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) said there were an estimated 473.2 million firearms in U.S. civilian hands by the close of 2021, per Breitbart News.