NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — North Miami police on Saturday confirmed the arrest of 30-year-old Matthew Duchatelier in connection with an attempted kidnapping that shocked a local teen and the Miami-Dade community.
Authotities said Duchatelier, who has a prior arrest on accusations of molesting a teenage girl, was taken into custody.
Speaking exclusively to Local 10 News, a teenage witness said she saw a driver trailing her neighbor, a girl under the age of 13, in North Miami, around 4 p.m. Thursday.
Police said Duchatelier reportedly stopped his car near Northeast 135th Street and 10th Avenue, got out, and rushed toward the girl.
“She grabbed a gate to open it, and he ran towards her and grabbed her,” a teenage witness told Local 10’s Rosh Lowe.
She said the girl fought back, yelling “Help! Help! Help!” and managed to escape, sitting on the ground and crying while the teen comforted her.
Detectives said Duchatelier has a history of sexual offenses.
In October 2024, police said he was arrested after allegedly molesting a 13-year-old girl inside a T.J. Maxx on Biscayne Boulevard.
They said surveillance footage showed him pinch the girl’s breast in the toy section before fleeing in a Toyota Corolla.
Duchatelier was later spotted at a nearby Burger King in the same car and wearing the same clothing seen in the video.
He initially denied the allegations but later claimed he did not remember the incident, according to investigators.
Jail records show Duchatelier is facing one count of attempted kidnapping of a child under the age of 13.
He appeared in court Saturday, where a judge denied him bond and ordered him to stay away from the latest victim.
The North Miami Police Department is leading the investigation and is searching for surveillance footage to determine whether Duchatelier may have targeted additional victims.
Detectives asked anyone with information to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
