The Aporia
Fitz-Gibbon, J., & Sheehan, K. (2026, September 17). Hero NYC cop praised as ‘strong mom’ for saving son from clutches of crazed kidnapper while pregnant. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/us-news/hero-nyc-cop-praised-as-strong-mom-for-saving-son-from-clutches-of-crazed-kidnapper-while-pregnant/
Fitz-Gibbon, Jorge, and Kevin Sheehan. “Hero NYC cop praised as ‘strong mom’ for saving son from clutches of crazed kidnapper while pregnant.” New York Post, 17 Sept. 2026, https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/us-news/hero-nyc-cop-praised-as-strong-mom-for-saving-son-from-clutches-of-crazed-kidnapper-while-pregnant/.
Fitz-Gibbon, Jorge, and Kevin Sheehan. “Hero NYC cop praised as ‘strong mom’ for saving son from clutches of crazed kidnapper while pregnant.” New York Post, September 17, 2026. https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/us-news/hero-nyc-cop-praised-as-strong-mom-for-saving-son-from-clutches-of-crazed-kidnapper-while-pregnant/.
Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.
On Monday around 5 p.m., a 47-year-old woman named Chrissy Payne from Flatlands tried to snatch a 4-year-old boy from his 66-year-old grandmother outside a McDonald's in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The woman grabbed the child by his shirt and attempted to take him across the street. However, the boy’s mother, an off-duty NYPD officer named Anyia James Roberts who is 7 months pregnant, intervened and saved her son from Payne. No injuries were reported during this incident.
The NYPD released surveillance images of Payne wearing a white shirt, black shorts, and black sandals to help identify and locate her. She was eventually arrested on Friday evening at around 11:45 p.m., charged with attempted kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child. The boy’s father, Gentle Roberts, praised his wife as a hero for her quick actions.