Children holding a handwritten note which read ‘Help us’ against a window of a house in Florida led to the arrest of a man who was allegedly holding them hostage.

Family members reported their concerns for the children’s safety to Kissimmee Police Department (KPD), which led to the arrest of Andre Janard Smithson, 33.

One of the children sent his grandmother a concerning text which prompted family members to make the call to 911 on October 26, according to The Palm Beach Post.

Using a drone, police spotted the children hiding in a room, with one of them holding the note up to the window. Kissimmee Police shared a screengrab of the drone footage on November 10.

Police dispatched a SWAT team to the residence, but when they knocked on the door, no one answered, PBP reported.

On a phone call with the officers, the children said they were scared of Smithson and he was refusing to let them leave, according to PBP.

The children were able to escape the house while Smithson was distracted by police presence outside, KPD said.

Smithson ‘eventually’ surrendered peacefully, police said.

He was arrested on charges of false imprisonment and an outstanding active warrant, the details of which were not disclosed by police in their statement.

Smithson’s relationship to the children was not revealed.

Smithson’s record showed previous charges of assault and battery committed towards a stranger in 2013 in Alachua County, Florida, but the victim ultimately decided not to press charges, court records show.

It is unclear if Smithson has retained an attorney. The Daily Mail has reached out to Kissimmee police for comment.