Oregon mother kicks in locked door to save kidnapped 7-year-old boy

On Wednesday evening, neighbors banded together at The Fields, a housing complex in Tigard Oregon. Together, they broke down a door to an apartment where a 7-year-old boy had been kidnapped.

The incident happened around 6:30 pm in the housing complex, located on Southwest Hunziker Road. The mother was watching her son play outside and saw a man grab and run off with him.

According to Oregon Live, the mother saw the assailant take her son "to another apartment in the complex and lock the door," at which point she immediately called the police, and called her neighbors for help.

Together, she and the neighbors kicked in the front door of the unit in which the boy was being held. The suspect, James Harman II, ran out the back door with the boy in tow, but then surrendered. The boy was not physically harmed.

Harman has now been charged with kidnapping in the first degree and is currently imprisoned. Police believe his intent was to cause physical harm to the boy, based on evidence they found at the scene of the crime.

"We recognize the tremendous impact an investigation like this can have on the community’s feeling of safety," said local police on Thursday.

"We are thankful that serious crimes against children are extremely rare in Tigard. We are also grateful for the quick-actions and watchful eyes of the mother and neighbors involved in this situation," the police department said.