What began as an ordinary afternoon outside a Brooklyn McDonald’s turned into a terrifying struggle over a four-year-old boy when a stranger allegedly grabbed the child from his grandmother and tried to take him away.

But the woman apparently did not anticipate who was nearby.

J’Marke Roberts’ mother, Anyia James Roberts, was seven months pregnant when she realized what was happening. Within moments, she rushed toward her son and joined a desperate effort to pull him away from the stranger.

The confrontation unfolded in broad daylight near Eastern Parkway and Utica Avenue in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood on Monday, September 14.

By the time it was over, the stranger had fled, J’Marke was safely back with his family, and a routine family outing had become an experience his parents say left the little boy badly shaken.

Days later, police announced an arrest.

A Sudden Struggle Outside McDonald’s

The frightening encounter happened at around 5 p.m. while J’Marke was outside the restaurant with his 66-year-old grandmother.

Authorities allege that a woman later identified as 47-year-old Brooklyn resident Chrissy Payne approached the child and grabbed him.

According to accounts from the family, Payne took hold of the boy near his shirt and attempted to move away with him. What followed was a disturbing tug-of-war as J’Marke’s grandmother tried to keep control of her grandson while the stranger allegedly refused to release him.

J’Marke began crying as the adults struggled over him.

His mother soon arrived in the middle of the confrontation.

Anyia, an off-duty New York City police officer, later described finding her mother pulling on one of J’Marke’s arms while the stranger was pulling on the other.

Despite being seven months pregnant, she immediately became physically involved, determined to get her son back.

There was little time to process what was happening. The priority was simple: do not let the stranger leave with the child.

Anyia ultimately succeeded in pulling J’Marke away.

The woman fled without him.

No physical injuries were reported, but the emotional impact of the confrontation was obvious to the family.

“That’s My Kid”

One of the most unsettling details described by J’Marke’s family was the stranger’s alleged insistence that the boy belonged to her.

J’Marke’s father, Gentle Roberts, said the woman repeatedly claimed the four-year-old was her child during the confrontation.

Prosecutors later alleged that Payne also used language suggesting she was presenting herself to the boy as his mother.

That detail has added another disturbing layer to a case that initially appeared to be a sudden encounter between strangers.

Police have not publicly established that Payne knew the Roberts family beforehand, and there is currently no confirmed evidence that J’Marke had been deliberately followed or targeted before the encounter.

That leaves one of the biggest unanswered questions surrounding the incident: why this child?

For the Roberts family, however, there was no time to consider motive while the confrontation was unfolding. Their focus was entirely on getting J’Marke back into their arms.

A Pregnant Mother Refused to Back Away

Gentle later praised his wife for the way she reacted under pressure.

Her pregnancy did not stop her from stepping directly into a physical struggle involving her young son.

It was an instinctive response that has become the emotional center of the story: a mother seeing her child in danger and acting immediately, despite the potential danger to herself.

Gentle described Anyia as a strong woman and said she was already back at work shortly after the incident.

For the family, however, the physical outcome was only one part of what happened.

J’Marke escaped without reported injuries, but his parents said the four-year-old was frightened and shaken.

During the confrontation, he had been crying while adults pulled him in opposite directions.

Even so, the family tried to restore a sense of normal life as quickly as possible.

J’Marke returned to school on Thursday, just days after the encounter.

Police Search Leads to an Arrest

After the suspect escaped, investigators began searching for the woman.

Police released surveillance imagery as authorities worked to identify and locate her.

Investigators ultimately identified the suspect as Chrissy Payne, 47, of Brooklyn.

She was taken into custody late Friday, several days after the alleged attempted abduction.

Police charged Payne with attempted kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child.

During a subsequent Brooklyn Criminal Court appearance, she was arraigned on charges connected to the September 14 incident. A judge set bail at $50,000 cash or a $100,000 bond, according to court reporting.

The charges are allegations, and Payne is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until she is convicted in court.

Reports surrounding the arrest have also described other pending criminal cases involving Payne. Those allegations are separate from the incident involving J’Marke and do not establish guilt in the current case.

The Question the Family Still Cannot Fully Answer

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect for parents reading about the case is how quickly the situation reportedly developed.

There was no long disappearance, elaborate plan or isolated location.

It happened on a Brooklyn street in the afternoon, outside a busy fast-food restaurant, with members of J’Marke’s family nearby.

Within moments, his grandmother was struggling with a stranger over the child.

Then his seven-months-pregnant mother was fighting to pull him back.

Authorities have not announced evidence showing that the Roberts family had any prior connection to Payne. Nor have investigators publicly said that she had been watching the family before approaching J’Marke.

For now, the precise reason she allegedly focused on the four-year-old remains unclear.

That uncertainty may be difficult for the family to put behind them.

Back in His Family’s Arms

For all the unanswered questions, the most important fact for J’Marke’s parents is that their son came home.

The four-year-old was not hospitalized and suffered no reported physical injuries. Within days, he was back at school and beginning to return to the routines of childhood.

But what happened outside that McDonald’s is unlikely to be forgotten quickly.

A grandmother found herself fighting to hold onto her grandson. A small child cried while being pulled between adults. And a mother carrying another baby rushed directly into the struggle rather than risk watching her son disappear.

For Anyia James Roberts, there was apparently never much of a decision to make.

She saw someone holding onto her four-year-old son.

And she refused to let him go.