A Pennsylvania man arrested Thursday allegedly used candy when attempting to lure a child into his car last month.
The man was arrested last week after trying to convince a young boy he encountered at a New Jersey Wawa to enter his vehicle for a sweet treat, according to Fox 29.
Thomas Cannon, a resident of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, according to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae. This charge is a third-degree offense carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison. (RELATED: Video Shows Police Officers Rescuing Baby After Kidnapping)
The 79-year-old reportedly grabbed the seven-year-old’s arm after offering him candy May 28 when the two were at Wawa in Maurice River Township.
The child escaped Cannon’s grasp and ran to his mother, who was using the store’s bathroom during the incident, according to Fox News.
Surveillance footage shows Cannon leaving the store before the child’s family learned about the alleged. He was thought to have vacated the scene in a white Toyota 4-Runner.
A child is abducted every 40 seconds in the United States, according to the Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center. There are roughly 840,000 missing children reported each year.
Kidnapping is not a rare occurrence.
A New Jersey native was kidnapped and held ransom after a drug deal went wrong in March, according to ABC 7 NY. Three New York suspects tortured the male teenager in a basement in Queens after they placed duct tape over his eyes and mouth. They were arrested and criminally charged.