A New York man is being hailed as a hero after he thwarted the kidnapping of an 11 year-old girl in Queens, New York.

The girl was walking to a weekend program at a local school in the Ridgewood neighborhood when 40 year-old Relyn Estrada, who then blocked her path and then tried to force her into his vehicle. The girl began to scream, catching the attention of Alexander Salas, 45. Without hesitating, Alexander grabbed his bat and ran outside to help.

“I heard her screaming, ‘Help, help!'” Alexander said. “And when I told him to get off of her he yelled back, ‘Who are you, a superhero?'”

“This guy, he literally had her sideways, and she’s fighting with him and then he was trying to put her in the car headfirst,” he continued. “She was kicking to get out of the car.”

Harrowing surveillance footage shows Alexander pointing his bat at Relyn, who had a bat himself.

“He had the bat over her,” said Alexander, who was holding back tears as he recounted what happened. “It was just nerve-wracking. … No way in the world I was going to let her leave. God knows what he would have done.”

Alexander’s distraction allowed the girl to escape unharmed. He then stayed with her as they waited for police to arrive, refusing to leave her side.

Police said that Relyn, who has been arrested 13 times before, was quickly apprehended and charged with kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, acting in a manner injurious to a child and reckless endangerment,

God bless Alexander for being brave enough to step in to save this little girl. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers, and watch the rescue for yourself in the video below!