Clever Boy Escapes His Captor, Bravely Rescues His Brother Kidnapped Earlier

• A masked man was caught on camera kidnapping a 12-year-old boy, Fabiano.
• It was later discovered that his initial target was the boy's eight-year-old brother.
• Fabiano fought to save his brother's life.

A man disguised in a wig and face mask was caught on camera dragging a 12-year-old boy out of his home in Moora, Australia, on March 31, 2023.

The CCTV footage showed the masked man, who was eventually identified as Johnathan Richard Anthony, walking into the property and straight to where the children were sleeping. Reports stated that he walked in as if he knew where to go.

In the video, the 12-year-old boy, Fabiano, is seen shirtless and barefoot after being taken out of bed in the middle of the night. Still in his state of confusion, and with the help of his dog, he managed to fight off Anthony.

After successfully escaping Anthony's clutches, Fabiano quickly realized that his younger brother, who slept in the same room, was missing, so he ran back into the house and raised the alarm. The abduction took place in the wee hours of the morning at 4:00 am.

Fabiano’s Father Was Proud of His Son’s Bravery

Fabiano immediately notified Brayden Pitkethly, a family friend staying with them on the same property. With his heart rising, he shakingly said, "My brother is missing; someone tried to drag me out!"

According to reports, Fabiano's eight-year-old brother, James, had been abducted just minutes before his attempted kidnapping.

Pitkethly also reacted quickly and started looking to see if anyone was outside, but nothing was visible, so he got into the car and began the search.

Soon, police authorities joined the distressing search until Fabiano distinctly heard his brother say, "I'm over here."

The frantic hunt for James took three grueling hours, but the eight-year-old was found at the house next door at 07:00 am. The kidnapper, Anthony, had been a neighbor for years, but the family did not interact with him much.

Although the motive behind the kidnapping is not known, Anthony was charged with a string of offenses, including child stealing and deprivation of liberty, detaining a child under 16, two counts of aggravated burglary, a disguise to commit an offense, and criminal damage. He is set to remain in jail until his court date in May.

Fabiano’s Father Was Proud of His Son’s Bravery

When James and Fabiano fought for their lives, their father, Steve Uzice, was about two hours away from home working.

The father of two confessed that watching the CCTV footage made him emotional. "I look at my boy, how we see him fight the guy, and I am very proud of my son," he expressed. The ordeal shocked Uzice because he did not expect something like this to happen in their small community.

However, as soon as he heard about the incident, he rushed to the police station to comfort his boys. He said, "Now you're safe, Daddy's here; nobody can hurt you."

Understandably, the father was distraught by the news, but just hours after the scary incident, the brothers were happy champs, with James peeking through the car window and smiling at the cameras. “They've always been happy kids," added Uzice

Most importantly, the father was relieved to have his children safe and healthy. The boys were sent to the hospital for a general check-up. Fortunately, they were not held up for long and were able to go home in no time.

The authorities also acknowledged Fabiano's bravery. One of the inspectors, Kareene Santoro, praised the boy for how well he handled the situation and took all the proper steps to save his brother.

Everything from escaping the kidnapper, raising the alarm, and notifying an adult was brave and helped the police search. But admittedly, it was a “very traumatic incident,” said the inspector.

After surviving such a life-altering situation, Uzice ensured to spend quality time with his boys and gave them a fun day of quad biking near their home.

In the meantime, the forensic police took statements from the boys and had been questioning the kidnapper to make sense of this chilling crime.

Click here to read another story about a brave boy who saved a set of twins from a hurricane. The boy risked his life, but he returned the babies home safely.