A New York mom is being hailed a hero after fighting off a man allegedly trying to abduct her teenage daughter inside their Queens apartment building. Adriana Alvarez heard her 18-year-old daughter, Lex, screaming and knew something was wrong. Just outside their door in the hallway of their apartment building, a man had grabbed the teen and allegedly forced her down the stairs. Alvarez heard the commotion and descended the stairs, thwarting the man's plan.
The family's Ring doorbell camera caught the entire interaction, and police were able to arrest suspect George Vassiliou, 25, in connection with the attempted abduction. The mother walked away injured but thankful her daughter was OK.
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The incident occurred in January.
Lex was returning home after walking the family's dogs about 9 a.m. January 23, per a report from Fox 5 NY. The video shows the moment she gets to the door, and viewers see Vassiliou seemingly hiding from her in a stairwell. He jumps and grabs the teenager, who is screaming. Alvarez runs outside, hustling in time to see her daughter being dragged down the steps near their fourth-floor apartment.
The mom wasted no time.
In the video, Alvarez screams at Vassiliou to stop but he continues down the steps, dragging Lex.
"My first instinct was to pull her and grab her back," she said. "As soon as I did that, he used pepper spray. He was pepper spraying me, and he used that time while my eyes were closed to punch me. To hurt me. To keep grabbing her and take her."
But Alvarez wasn't going to give up. A neighbor heard the commotion and tried to help by beating Vassiliou with a stick and letting the women inside their apartment for safety. But the alleged kidnapper was apparently relentless.
"We couldn't manage to keep it shut. He then grabbed my hair through the door, so that led us outside the building," Alvarez told Fox 5 NY.
Vassiliou was taken into custody and faces several charges, including burglary and attempted kidnapping, criminal possession of a weapon, and assault. He has pleaded not guilty and is expected back in court April 3, Fox 5 NY reported.
Vassiliou reportedly wasn't a stranger.
Lex and the accused worked together at C-Town Supermarket on 34th Avenue in Astoria, and although things were friendly at one point, the dynamic recently changed, Fox 5 NY reported. Two weeks prior to the attack, Vassiliou allegedly began following Lex home from work, leading her mother to file a restraining order against him.
"We all thought, 'Wow, this guy really likes my daughter for some reason. What's going on?' He would follow her. She would see him behind a car," Alvarez said.
The night before the attempted abduction, he did something unusual.
A police source said the attempted abuductor rented a car the night before the incident and parked outside the family's building. according to the New York Post. Inside the car, he allegedly had rope, sleeping pills, melatonin, tampons, and a knife inside one of his pockets.
"He had this all planned out," Alvarez told the Post. "Where was he going to take my baby?"
She added that even though Vassiliou was arrested, she still wants to warn other women, so she created a flier she and Lex posted in the neighborhood.
Alvarez was reportedly injured during the altercation.
According to a GoFundMe account, Alvarez, a mother of two teen girls and a small business owner, received injuries trying to protect her daughter.
"Adriana was able to fight off her daughter's attacker, but sustained injuries. Adriana suffered a fractured orbital bone, a fractured elbow and a broken shoulder. These are bandages she wears with pride for defending her cub. This page is to help with hospital bills, rent and home bills while Adriana recovers from her injuries enough to go back to work," a post on the fundraiser reads.
Donors raised the original $5,000 goal and then surpassed it, reaching more than $39,000 for the family thus far.
"I am so sorry that you and your daughter were put in this position in the first place. Reading your story teared me up, the love and strength of a mom has no bounds," one donor wrote. "Wishing you and your family a fast recovery and only blessings to come. I am calling my own mother to thank her for everything she has done for me today. Lots of love and well wishes Adriana."
