TOLEDO, Ohio — Dashcam and body camera footage captured a heroic rescue when state troopers in Ohio arrested the father of a 4-year-old Michigan girl who police say took his daughter against her mother's will.
Michigan State Police and other agencies put out an alert to be on the lookout for Eric Nardini, who is accused of taking his daughter Lilliana from Marysville, Michigan on Tuesday against her mother's will and leaving the state.
Port Huron police believed Nardini was headed southbound on I-75 just north of Toledo around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday and alerted area police agencies.
Nardini was arrested around 9 p.m. Tuesday night when Ohio troopers pulled him over after they recognized the car he was driving and his license plate.
In the video, you can see troopers approach the car telling the driver to show both hands to troopers, which Nardini does. Troopers ask if anyone is inside and he tells them his daughter is in the car.
Nardini is then asked to throw his keys out of the window, step out of the car and walk backwards to the troopers, who then took him into custody.
Troopers then moved in toward the back right side of the car, where body camera footage shows Lilliana sitting with what appears to be a blanket over her.
"Come on, sweetie, you're okay," the trooper can be heard telling the young girl.
The trooper gets Lilliana out of the back of the car and carries her to a squad car.
"We're here to help you okay, baby," the trooper said. "We're gonna get your mom over here and we're gonna take care of you, okay?"
The Port Huron Police Department says Nardini was recently served with a court order, ordering the child be turned over to Lilliana’s mother.
Police say after being served with the court order, Nardini made statements to the mother that she would never see the child again. But with the help of Ohio State Police, Nardini is in custody and Lilliana is back with her mother.
"We would not only like to thank our law enforcement partners but a big thank you to everyone that shared the posts and sent in all the tips," Port Huron police said in a statement.
It is unclear at this time what charges Nardini is facing.
Watch the body camera footage below:
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