Stranger's brave act to save eight-year-old from alleged kidnap attempt

A total stranger stepped in to save an eight-year-old girl from an alleged kidnapping attempt when he spotted a man watching the child in a local restaurant.

Cody Byrd, from North Carolina, USA, was dining at a Biscuitville restaurant when he noticed a man, later identified as Timothy Fry, watching a little girl intently.

The girl was Heather Owen's eight-year-old daughter, who was dining at the restaurant with her mum on a day off from school.

As they were eating, Owen's daughter told her mum she needed to use the bathroom and Owen agreed to let her go alone, knowing her child was familiar with the dining spot.

"I was like, 'Okay. We're here all the time,' so I didn't think too much about it," Owen told Fox8.

"She's in eyesight of me, and I said, 'Okay, do you need me to come with you?' She says, 'No, I'm okay.' I was like, 'Are you sure?' 'Yeah, I'm okay.'"

As the little girl got up to use the bathroom, Byrd was keeping an eye on Fry and was uneasy when he saw Fry stand up and follow the child.

"It's the kind of vibe he was putting off," Byrd said, adding that he stood up and moved towards the bathroom to keep an eye on Fry.

"The fact that when I came in, he was just staring at the girl, and he was just so focused on her.

"And then once he got up to go to the bathroom right out there (where) she went, that's when I was like, 'Okay, I'm already not feeling right about this.'"

Meanwhile, Owen had also noticed Fry's behaviour but was hesitant to call him out for fear of making a false allegation.

"You don't want to pre-judge anybody because that happens a lot nowadays. I was like, 'Well, maybe he really is going to use the bathroom,'" she said, but was still concerned.

Moments later Owen and Byrd's fears were confirmed; the moment Owen's daughter stepped out of the bathroom, Fry tried to grab her.

Terrified, the little girl ran to her mother right as Byrd stepped in and snapped a photo of Fry, as well as a photo of the truck he got into as he fled the restaurant.

The pictures helped police identify Fry and use the license plate on his truck to track him down, arresting him as a suspect thanks to Byrd's help.

Fry later admitted to police he found the eight-year-old girl sexually attractive and intended to kidnap her.

Byrd's brave act was recognised when he was presented with a Good Citizen Award on Tuesday at the restaurant, which has offered him free breakfast for a year in honour of his selfless actions.

But it's Owen's gratitude that is most important to him, the mum just glad her little girl is safe.