Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Child Kidnapped Uptown, Later Found Downtown
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 9, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 9, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Another incredibly bizarre child-related incident up in Washington Heights: A woman kidnapped a 4 year-old from the restaurant where his mom was working, only to have a police manhunt trace him to the Lower East Side. Thankfully little Joshua Polanco was found safe, but people's nerves have been on edge since yesterday's baby-stabbing occured a block away. Joshua's mother was downstairs at the International Food House (Broadway and West 172nd), leaving him under the watch of three other waitresses, and then suddenly a woman just walked in and took him away.
When people first saw Joshua and the suspect, they thought they were mother with misbehaving, crying child. They apparently also went to another restaurant in the neighborhood, where the woman pulled on a waitress's hair and said, "Give me my kid! Does anyone know where my kid is?" But a McDonald's surveillance video showed Josue and the suspect in Washington Heights, and interestingly enough, they were there while two police officers searched that McDonald's for Joshua. It was only when the suspect's relative called to police, as Joshua was brought to her Lower East Side apratment, that the authorities caught up.
Tagged
baby
broadway
east side
food
hair
heights
house
international
jen chung
Lower East
Lower East Side
mcdonald's
News: NYC
people
police
video
washington
Washington Heights
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Early Addition: Some NYC workers got up extremely early to commute from the Poconos
Because more city workers are living out there because it's affordable, here are your early links: Santacon returning under new management, New Jersey kids are learning cursive and loving it, Forest Hills Stadium cutting back and more.
By
James Ramsay
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 8:54 a.m. ET
Mamdani-backed housing bill will give nonprofits head start on buying NYC apartments
The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act has long been a goal of tenant advocates, but has faced fierce opposition from the real estate industry.
By
David Brand
News
Mamdani-backed housing bill will give nonprofits head start on buying NYC apartments
The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act has long been a goal of tenant advocates, but has faced fierce opposition from the real estate industry.
By
David Brand
Fatal motorcycle crash on George Washington Bridge disrupts morning commute
By
Michael Sol Warren
Ballot questions ask NYC voters whether to cut red tape on outdoor dining, bike lanes
By
Walter Wuthmann
The NYPD arrested a mom and took her kids' Christmas gifts. She never got them back.
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .