Texas man whose 'child abuse' balcony video in Colombia sparked outrage is CLEARED as police say he was helping boy who was choking

By MARYANN MARTINEZ, US TEXAS BUREAU CHIEF Published: 17:52, 16 June 2026 | Updated: 17:58, 16 June 2026 An American man accused of horrific sex abuse against a boy that was allegedly captured in a viral video has now been cleared of all wrongdoing, according to Colombian authorities.  In a video that sparked global outrage and went viral on social media, the Texas man, 36, was filmed interacting with a young boy on a balcony in Bogota. The woman recording the scene on her cellphone began yelling, believing she was watching the boy being sexually abused. Others soon joined in, cursing the man and demanding he stop.  Other footage on social media shows an angry mob of locals watching as the foreigner was taken away by police.  Now authorities in the South American country are saying the man never abused the boy and was in fact helping him.  'Sexual violence against children is completely ruled out,' Astrid Cáceres, director of the ICBF (Colombian institute for family welfare), told a Colombian news agency. The boy on the balcony, and his two siblings who were also inside the apartment in the custody of the man, were medically evaluated and tested, officials added.  'All forensic, physical, and psychological tests; interviews and other expert analyses carried out, and the judicial police activities performed, showed that there was no sexual abuse or physical violence. There are no elements that indicate criminal conduct,' the nation's top prosecutors said in a statement.  The suspect, whose name has not been identified, was perp walked out of the building after the on-camera episode - and is expected to be charged with aggravated sexual assault of a minor Colombian President Gustavo Petro told press that the American man had taken the boy outside on the balcony because he was choking on food.  'It's not very clear whether there was choking or not, but as far as we understand, the point is that the child got out to breathe,' prosecutors said. 'This was an incident that occurred with the objects they were playing with, a conflict with the (sister,) and that's when the child needed to get some air to breathe.' The Texas man was released around 1 am this morning from police custody, according to Noticias Caracol, one of Colombia's largest television broadcasters. The Daily Mail knows the identity of the American, but is not releasing his name because he has not been charged with a crime.  Even though the American has been exonerated, now a second tragedy might be developing.  Colombian officials confirm the Lone Star State resident and his wife had been involved in a three-year process to adopt the three siblings, aged four, seven and 15. The incident has ignited fierce outrage across Colombia after the footage went viral An angry mob formed around the building in Colombia's capital Bogota after the man was allegedly caught in the act in broad daylight, as police had to form a protective shield to guard him from furious witnesses  Now the adoption is on hold, as officials admit the American couple might be having second thoughts.  The 15-year-old girl defended the American couple to authorities, investigators revealed, helping to translate what the man was being accused of and also denying any wrong-doing.  The kids already called the Americans mom and dad, adoption officials said, adding that they five of them had already been through 'a very important emotional process....to get to know each other. 'There is an emotional bond that exists...at this stage of the process they already call their adoptive family parents,' the official said. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.