Christopher Rodriguez, 32, was taken into custody shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at a Branford hotel. New Haven police announced the arrest Friday.
The case began when officers responded to a reported domestic dispute at a New Haven home.
A woman told police Rodriguez had become "extremely upset" after they got into an argument. Rodriguez allegedly left the woman there and drove to New Haven to pick up her 5-year-old son, police said.
Rodriguez is not the child’s father.
During a phone call, Rodriguez allegedly refused to return the boy. Police said he threatened to flee and kill himself and the child if officers became involved.
Investigators learned that Rodriguez had several active warrants. One involved a New York parole violation tied to an underlying second-degree murder charge, police said.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert. Special Victims Unit detectives and crisis negotiators reached Rodriguez by phone, but efforts to locate him failed.
“While speaking with him, he exhibited irrational and paranoid thoughts, including revving his engine and saying he saw police following him, repeatedly claiming that he would intentionally crash the car,” police said.
Negotiators persuaded Rodriguez to release the child after several hours. Police said he handed the boy to a tow truck driver in Bridgeport and told the driver to take him to New Haven.
Authorities then made finding Rodriguez a top priority. A U.S. Marshals task force officer took over the search.
Police found Rodriguez at a hotel in Branford later that night and arrested him.
He was charged with first-degree kidnapping, risk of injury to a minor, fugitive from justice, and two counts of second-degree breach of peace, per New Haven police. Authorities also served his outstanding warrants.
His combined bond was set at $300,000, authorities said.
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