Christopher Rodriguez arrested for kidnapping 5-year-old boy
23 september 2026 в 05:50
Christopher Rodriguez has been arrested in Connecticut, accused of abducting a five-year-old boy from a bus stop following a dispute with the child’s mother. According to police, he threatened to kill the woman and the child if she called the police.
Rodriguez, 32, was charged with first-degree kidnapping, threatening to cause injury to a minor, two counts of breach of peace, and escape from custody. The escape charge is related to an active warrant for violating conditions of his bail in New York, stemming from a previous second-degree murder charge.
On September 14, the boy’s mother reported to New Haven police that Rodriguez had taken her son after an argument. He is not the child’s biological father. The dispute occurred at a Family Dollar store in West Haven, where Rodriguez also clashed with a cashier, asking if they had had an intimate relationship with the boy’s mother.
After the argument, Rodriguez drove to a bus stop in New Haven, where, according to police, he abducted the child. He refused to return the boy when the mother attempted to contact him, threatening that if the police were called, he would start a pursuit and kill them both.
Authorities issued an AMBER Alert and a bulletin for Rodriguez. Detectives and crisis negotiation team members contacted him by phone and spent several hours trying to persuade him. During the conversation, he exhibited irrational and paranoid thoughts, including claims that he saw police and threatened to damage a vehicle.
Ultimately, Rodriguez agreed to release the five-year-old boy, handing him over to a tow truck driver in Bridgeport, instructing him to «safely deliver the child to New Haven». Rodriguez was later found in a hotel in Branford three days after the abduction and was arrested on September 17. His bail has been set at $ 300,000. Information about his legal representation is currently unavailable.
New Haven Police Chief David Zannelli noted that thanks to the efforts of investigators, «many lives were saved, and a dangerous person is now safely in custody».
Rodriguez, 32, was charged with first-degree kidnapping, threatening to cause injury to a minor, two counts of breach of peace, and escape from custody. The escape charge is related to an active warrant for violating conditions of his bail in New York, stemming from a previous second-degree murder charge.
On September 14, the boy’s mother reported to New Haven police that Rodriguez had taken her son after an argument. He is not the child’s biological father. The dispute occurred at a Family Dollar store in West Haven, where Rodriguez also clashed with a cashier, asking if they had had an intimate relationship with the boy’s mother.
After the argument, Rodriguez drove to a bus stop in New Haven, where, according to police, he abducted the child. He refused to return the boy when the mother attempted to contact him, threatening that if the police were called, he would start a pursuit and kill them both.
Authorities issued an AMBER Alert and a bulletin for Rodriguez. Detectives and crisis negotiation team members contacted him by phone and spent several hours trying to persuade him. During the conversation, he exhibited irrational and paranoid thoughts, including claims that he saw police and threatened to damage a vehicle.
Ultimately, Rodriguez agreed to release the five-year-old boy, handing him over to a tow truck driver in Bridgeport, instructing him to «safely deliver the child to New Haven». Rodriguez was later found in a hotel in Branford three days after the abduction and was arrested on September 17. His bail has been set at $ 300,000. Information about his legal representation is currently unavailable.
New Haven Police Chief David Zannelli noted that thanks to the efforts of investigators, «many lives were saved, and a dangerous person is now safely in custody».
© Puhova Marina
