A Florida man trying to help a two-year-old girl find her parents was beaten up by the girl's father who mistakenly thought he was trying to abduct her, it was reported on Tuesday.

Utpaul Patel, the Good Samaritan who police say was trying to locate the young girl's parents after she wandered off a ball field, moved away from his hometown of Lakeland after he was erroneously labeled a child predator on social media.

Patel is reported to fear for his life after false stories about him spread on social media, according to WFTS-TV.

The young girl's father, Austin Strickland, says he has no regrets about jumping to conclusions about Patel's intentions.

Strickland, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter drove Saturday afternoon to the Super Complex in Lakeland, where he was scheduled to play a softball game.

Austin Strickland (right) of Mulberry, Florida, punched a man whom he mistakenly believed was trying to abduct his two-year-old daughter (left)

The incident took place at the Super Complex in Lakeland, Florida, seen above. The Good Samaritan, Utpaul Patel, declined to press charges against Strickland

Strickland apparently lost sight of his daughter, who wandered off and out of the dugout, according to WFTS.

The girl was then spotted by Patel.

Patel was in the area with a friend, who just happened to be a Polk Sheriff's Office deputy, according to Fox 13.

Patel asked the girl if she knew where her parents were, but she could not say.

'He saw that the child was in danger,' said Lakeland Police Department Sgt. Gary Gross.

'She was wandering off and he did the right thing by going to her, getting her attention, trying to find the parents.

'We had an independent eyewitness that saw him walking around, asking, "Is this your parents? Is that your father?"'

Strickland says when he saw Patel with his daughter, he didn't think twice.

'When I got there, I just swung on him,' Strickland said.

'You're damn right [I punched him]. I wanted to kill the man,' Strickland told FOX 13.

'You just don't take someone else's kid and walk to the parking lot or walk in that direction.'

Strickland punched Patel about six times.

Patel, however, declined to press charges against Strickland because as a father, he understood the reaction to seeing his daughter with a potential kidnapper, according to police.

Within hours of the incident, social media users named Patel as a child predator. They began to share information and pictures about his family, his children, and where he worked. The public shaming apparently forced Patel and his family to move out of town

Within hours of the incident, social media users named Patel as a child predator.

They began to share information and pictures about his family, his children, and where he worked.

The public shaming apparently forced Patel and his family to move out of town – at least for a while until he feels it is safe to return.

Police warned residents of the dangers of posting false information on social media.

'Posting false information on Facebook could cause a defamation of character claim and those posting false information could be held libel,' the Lakeland Police Department wrote on its Facebook page.

'Be careful about what you post on social media so as not to victimize an innocent person.

'Before posting information on matters such as this, we encourage people to identify the source and the validity of such claims before sharing them.'

After the police statement made it apparent that the posts were false, the residents began to delete the misinformation from their Facebook feeds.