Attempted child abduction in Welland

Niagara police are searching for a man who allegedly tried to snatch a young boy from his mother in Welland Sunday afternoon.

Police say the mother and boy were shopping at the Zellers at the Seaway Mall. They were holding hands when the mother felt a tug and saw the man trying to pull away her son.

She yelled at the suspect, who tried to run away but was grabbed by the boy’s father. The father then turned him over to the store’s managers who escorted him to the parking lot where he fled on foot.

Police describe the man as 6-feet tall and approximately 220 lbs. He has short brown hair and was clean shaven with a larger nose. At the time of the alleged attempted abduction, he was wearing a light brown camouflage baseball hat, a blue shirt with “Tommy” written across the chest, a green fleece jacket and blue jeans.

Anyone with information on this incident or the man’s identity is asked to contact Niagara Regional Police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-