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Accused Kidnapper Faces Felony Charges

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A man accused of abducting his son in the Saratoga County Town of Clifton Park Friday faces felony kidnapping and burglary charges. 

41-year-old Nivaldo Oliveira was arrested Friday evening after he was spotted with his 9-year-old son Gustavo in the City of Albany.

According to State Police, Oliveira forced his way into a residence in Halfmoon shortly after midnight Friday, where he reportedly menaced a woman with a hammer. Police say the woman injured her ankle after jumping from a second-floor window to seek refuge in a vacant apartment. A six-year-old child at the scene was unharmed.

Police say Oliveira then drove to nearby Clifton Park, where he forcefully abducted his son from a relative’s residence. A statewide AMBER Alert was issued around 4 a.m. Friday.

The father and son were located in the Albany’s West Hill neighborhood shortly after 9 p.m. Oliveira was arrested after allegedly attempting to avoid apprehension and was treated at Albany Medical Center for minor injuries. He was later arraigned and remanded to Saratoga County Jail.

9-year-old Gustavo was returned to his mother unharmed.

Lucas Willard is a news reporter and host at WAMC Northeast Public Radio, which he joined in 2011. He produces and hosts The Best of Our Knowledge and WAMC Listening Party.