Nightly News   |  August 19, 2011

New Mexico man foils kidnapping

Aug. 19: An Albuquerque, NM man is being hailed as a hero for saving the life of a little girl. Antonio Diaz Chacon sprang into action after seeing a stranger kidnap the 6-year-old. NBC’s Aditi Roy reports.

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>>> an albuquerque , new mexico man is being hailed a as hero tonight for saving the life of a little girl after seeing a stranger try to kidnap her. adede roy has the story.

>> reporter: this normally quiet neighborhood in albuquerque would have been the place where a child disappeared. instead it's where a hero appeared. his name is antonio. he's 24 years old, a mechanic and this week he saved a 6-year-old girl from a kidnapping.

>> you know, if it wasn't for you, those parents over there wouldn't have their girl.

>> happened fast, the little girl was walking home when a stranger snatched her from the streets and threw her into a van, in front of chacone and his wife who happened to be 59 the right place and the right time and did the right thing.

>> what is your emergency?

>> a little girl was um kidnapped. my husband followed the van.

>> the van actually crashed and mr. chacone was able to get her and take her back to her family.

>> the suspect ran but was later captured by police and charged with kidnapping and child abuse . chacone, a father of two little girls himself said what motivated him was, it's a little girl , it could be yours, go.

>> it's not often that somebody tries to make that kind of a rescue, put that effort in and he saved her from something really atrocious.

>> the outpouring continues online, but some are calling chacone a true, american hero , the only thing he is, he's not technically american. he says he hasn't filed for legal status yet, even though he's lived here for four years. but today he's albuquerque 's hero of the week, a recognition he hopes will some day help him become an american citizen , so he can truly have a home in a community where he's already the hometown hero . adedee roy, msnbc.