Nyla Prentiss: Hero girl, 9, recalls how she saved 11-month-old brother after being kidnapped by carjacker
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: A courageous nine-year-old girl described how she rescued her 11-month-old baby brother from a carjacker in Las Vegas. Nyla Prentiss and her brother King were abducted Tuesday, October 25, from their mother's parked Dodge SUV after a carjacker fled in the car, which was parked outside a 7-Eleven near Cheyenne and Decatur.
According to Daily Mail, the hero girl recalled sitting in the backseat of the car with her brother when her mother, Karen Quinn, a mother of five, stepped out to use an ATM at a 7-Eleven around 8.30 pm. Speaking to Fox5 Vegas, Nyla said, "My mom went to the store to put some money on her card, and this boy was looking at her in a strange way and then he ran outside, and then tried to open my mom's door."
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The 9-year-old recalls and details the situation to Fox5 Vegas saying, "My mom came outside and she was like, 'What are you doing next to my car?' The girl continued, "When she comes next to her car, it unlocks. So her car unlocked and then he got in the car and he zoomed. And I didn't want to put my hands on him because he was driving fast and I didn't want to die."
Mario Estrada, 38, was the suspect police later identified. The family's stolen car was spotted on the I-15, sparking a chase, but Estrada's accident with another vehicle wrecked the car. Estrada is facing ten charges, including second-degree kidnapping and grand larceny.
Along with the two children, Estrada sped away from the scene. Nyla was contemplating her next move as she sat still in the backseat. "I was like, 'Please sir, let us out the car. I ain't got nothing to do with this, please just take the car and let us go, said the brave girl. Estrada then signaled for the children to exit the vehicle as he pulled over. Nyla said that the only thing she was worried about was her little brother. She continued, "And so I tried to grab my shoes, and he didn't let me. He was like, 'Here, get out.' So I grabbed his binky and me and him ran." Nyla, who was holding her brother and running barefoot, rushed back about five blocks to the 7-Eleven. In a desperate attempt to find them, her mother Quinn went in search of them. The little girl said, "I was looking for some lights, and then I saw the 7-Eleven that we was at, and then I went in there and I was shaking and crying."
The nine-year-old claimed that Estrada gave her a quick glance before getting in the car. Since the incident, she has been frightened and unable to sleep. A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family pay for a new car and counseling. Irene Brown, the event's organizer, and Nyla's great-grandmother revealed that the nine-year-old has FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome, a kidney disease. She wrote, "She is now having pain and nightmares telling her mother she did not want her or her brother to die."
In an interview with Good Morning America, mother Quinn who is grateful for reuniting with her children cried saying, "I just broke down thanking god, her devastated mother told in an interview. She added, "I dropped to my knees I started just holding them and just caressing them telling them I am sorry that happened to them."