10-yr-old Florida girl escapes alleged kidnapper twice after he told onlooker he was child’s ‘grandpa’
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FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA: A chilling video shows the moment a 10-year-old girl fled on foot from her potential kidnapper who allegedly tried to abduct her twice in a week. Authorities are looking for the suspect dressed in all back when tried to lure the girl with candy and money, in the Fort Lauderdale neighborhood as the child made her way to school last week.
The first incident took place on October 19, after the suspect driving a black van approached the girl. "The girl was walking to school on Wednesday morning near Northeast 15th Street and 17th Way when the van pulled up beside her near Bennett Elementary and Sunrise Middle schools," Detective Ali Adamson told WSVN. The man then attempted to lure the girl with candy, money, and other items but she declined. "The suspect then attempted to grab her but thankfully she was able to run away," reported police.
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Police in Florida have released shocking footage of a suspected kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl last week, in hopes of identifying the suspect.
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The following day, the suspect approached the girl on foot around 7.40 am and said, "You know, yesterday you didn’t get your candy or anything, here’s your candy,” reported the girl's mother Anika Prescia. During this, a witness saw what was happening and intervened. “A witness in the area approaches them, and asks the 10-year-old if she knows this man,” Adamson said. “She says, ‘No.’ At the same time she’s saying ‘no,’ the suspect says, ‘yes,’ they do know each other and that he is her grandfather."
“The witness, realizing that something’s not right, instructs the 10-year-old to run,” he said, adding that "she fled to Bendle Elementary where she reported the staff about the incident." The staff then called the police. Prescia explained her horror and said, "You drop your daughter at school and a few hours later you get this call," she said. "I'm just happy she's ok. I'm just happy that she made a good conscious decision to run and go seek help."
The suspect is described as a 25- to 40-year-old white man with short brown hair, a mustache, and possibly a scar on the left side of his face. A $5,000 reward is being offered for the capture of the suspect, who was driving a black van with possible taillight damage. In a message to parents, Sunrise Middle School said: “This serves a perfect alignment to talk to your child about stranger danger and staying safe while walking to or from school.” Prescia added, “They are kids, they are babies and it breaks my heart to hear that other people want to do that to kids.”
Detectives continue to investigate the incidents and urge anyone with any information about either incident or the suspect to contact Detective DeQuarto at (954) 828-6559.