Man arrested after 2 child abductions thwarted by good Samaritans in Michigan: VIDEO

DETROIT -- A 23-year-old man is under arrest, accused in two attempted child abductions outside Detroit.

Authorities said the two incidents happened just one hour apart, and good Samaritans saved both children.

A Michigan community is relieved on Saturday morning after two alleged attempted kidnappings, believed to be by the same suspect, were stopped by good Samaritans, according to police.

Alecia Swejkoski was with her 8-year-old son and 7-year-old niece when police say 23-year-old Endi Bala pulled up in a car, blocking Swejkoski from the kids. In a door camera video released by the Sterling Heights Police Department, Bala grabbed the 7-year-old off her bicycle and threw her in the car.

"I was telling her to stop, wait a minute at first. Then, I quickly shifted into go. 'You need to run, run,' and I just got louder and louder, and that's right when he came up from behind her and scooped her up," Swejkoski said.

SEE ALSO | Mom shares warning after 2 separate attempted kidnappings of kids caught on cameras

Swejkoski said moments later, Bala drove off with her niece as she was hanging out of the car window, the car running over her 8-year-old son.

"I was punched on top of my head. He had one hand on her and one hand trying to get the wheel. I had one hand on the wheel, trying to get his hand off of her, and we went back and forth," Swejkoski said.

That is when Swejkoski said Scott Van Luen stopped his car and intervened.

"I literally pulled him out of the car and just held him against his car until police got here," he said.

Police say nearly an hour earlier, the same man tried to abduct 15-year-old Alexis when another bystander stepped in.

"He asked if he could walk me home twice, and I refused both times, and I started walking off. He got out of the car, grabbed my wrist, he said, 'I'm going to mess you up,'" Alexis said.

Meanwhile, the mother of the 7-year-old is grateful that her daughter is safe.

"I was just thinking in my head that if anything happened to my daughter, I would not be able to be here anymore," she said.