Andres Caceres Jaldin, 26, has been charged with abducting a minor and grand larceny after disturbing surveillance footage showed him taking a young girl from a mall in Virginia.
The incident occurred at the Fair Oaks Shopping Center, where CCTV footage shows the child walking alone after wandering away from an indoor play area. Jaldin is seen trailing her while speaking on his phone, then scooping her up and walking away through a nearby department store.
According to court documents reviewed by NBC, the girl’s father quickly noticed she was missing and contacted his wife, who was elsewhere in the store. She spotted Jaldin holding their daughter on the second floor and immediately confronted him. He returned the child without resistance.
Jaldin reportedly told police he was trying to help the girl find her parents.
Authorities say he fled the scene afterward in a vehicle stolen from a local auto shop, which he allegedly took before the attempted abduction.
Police later located the stolen vehicle at an Extended Stay Hotel near Chantilly, where they arrested Jaldin. He now faces charges of abducting a minor and grand larceny.
Court records indicate Jaldin has a troubling history of violence. In 2024, he was charged with multiple counts of assault and battery, malicious wounding, and destruction of property—allegedly targeting members of his own family, including his parents and brother. While awaiting trial, he was again accused of assault.
A psychiatric evaluation later diagnosed him with schizophrenia, according to NBC. The charges involving his family were ultimately dropped.
He is currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
