Mother and Neighbors Break Down Door of Kidnap Suspect To Save Son: Police

A woman in Oregon teamed up with her neighbors to come to the rescue of her son after he was abducted from outside their apartment complex, according to police.

Tigard Police say that the woman, with the help of other local residents, broke down the door of a man suspected of kidnapping her son.

Officers were called to The Fields apartment complex in the 7800 block of Southwest Hunziker Road in Tigard at around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16.

The boy's mother, who made the call to police, told officers she had been inside her apartment watching her son play outside when she witnessed a man grab the 7-year-old.

According to police, she told officers she then saw the man take her son into his own apartment where he then locked the door. Police say the mother and several other neighbors ran over to the apartment and proceeded to kick down the door in an attempt to rescue her son.

According to the authorities, the alleged kidnapper escaped out the back door of the apartment with the boy but ultimately let the child go.

Police have identified the suspect as 56-year-old James Harman II. He was taken by police to Washington County Jail and has been charged with first-degree kidnapping.

First-degree kidnapping is classed as a Measure 11 crime in Oregon. Under legislation introduced in 1994, it means that, if found guilty, Harman will face a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years and six months in prison.

Measure 11 was originally applied to 16 offenses when first introduced 28 years ago but it has since been amended to include a total of 21.

Harman is now set to remain in custody pending arraignment. According to police, investigators believe he intended to hurt the boy, based on evidence found at the scene.

They say additional charges may be pending. Tigard Police praised the "quick actions and watchful eyes" of the boy's mother and her neighbors in preventing a more serious crime.

"We recognize the tremendous impact an investigation like this can have on the community's feeling of safety," Kelsey Anderson, public information officer at Tigard Police Department said.

"We are thankful that serious crimes against children are extremely rare in Tigard. We are also grateful for the quick-actions and watchful eyes of the mother and neighbors involved in this situation."

Newsweek has contacted Tigard Police for comment.

Earlier this week a 22-year-old New York woman was charged with kidnapping and attempting murder after allegedly detaining a man she met through Instagram against his will and reportedly subjecting him to "hours of torture."

In February, a 6-year-old girl who had been reported missing since 2019 was discovered alive in a makeshift room located under a closed staircase leading to the basement of a home where her non-custodial parents live.

Kimberly Cooper and Kirk Shultis Jr. in the town of Saugerties, New York are now facing charges of child endangerment and could be sentenced to multiple years in prison if convicted.

Earlier that same month, a 48-year-old man was arrested on kidnapping charges after allegedly breaking into a Colorado Ranch owned by former New York City mayor and presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg.

Joseph Beecher is alleged to have gained unlawful entry to the grounds of the ranch before abducting a housekeeper from the property.