Hero diners were caught on cam rushing to stop a man from kidnapping a 4-year-old girl in front of her own mother.

Dramatic CCTV shows a kidnapper running to get hold of a 4-year-old girl in front of her own mother and fellow diners rushing to save her.

The incident happened at an outdoor seating area of a pizza restaurant in Florida of Johannesburg, South Africa.

The 24-year-old man could be seen leaping over the barriers and running to grab the girl by her neck from the seat as she sat with her mother and another companion.

The mother of the girl and her female friend got hold of the girl as another diner dragged the man to the ground.

A man that was wearing a black t-shirt ran to the scene and tackled the man to the floor.

The toddler girl cried in shock and the mother rushed took her inside the restaurant.

A security guard approached the scene and held the man on the ground until the authorities arrived at the scene.

Separate footage shows the suspect having his hands tied behind his back.

According to reports, the kidnapper was arrested by the authorities on suspicion of attempted child abduction.

Kay Makhubela, a Lieutenant and the spokesperson of the Gauteng Police, confirmed the incident.

In a statement that Lt. Kakhubela released, they said:

It is alleged that on Thursday about 5pm the complainant was at the pizza shop in Florida with her four-year-old child when an unknown male came and grabbed the child by her neck as if he wanted to take her. The mother and the child screamed and, with the help of the shop owner and the community, the suspect was apprehended.

An official investigation is ongoing right now, said the authorities.