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'Leave Her Alone!': Brave Teen Saves Girl From Kidnapping Attempt

October 29, 2024

Today's good news story comes from Los Angeles, California.

A brave neighbor’s quick actions helped save the life of an 11-year-old girl targeted in an attempted kidnapping in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles.

The suspect following the girl / Credit: Fox 11 News

Around 3:15 p.m. on October 21, a man allegedly attempted to abduct the girl as she walked home from school. The chilling scene was caught on camera, but thankfully, a nearby resident, Ivonne, witnessed the alarming incident and acted immediately.

As the man tried to take the girl, Ivonne, who was at home folding laundry, saw the suspicious interaction and shouted, "Hey, leave her alone!"

Her words were enough to halt the suspect, who then claimed the girl was his niece. But Ivonne, a longtime Wilmington resident who knows her neighbors well, wasn’t convinced and quickly stepped in to protect the young girl.

After the man fled the scene, Ivonne and her brother attempted to catch him, though he managed to escape. However, their efforts and vigilance paid off just two days later when the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) successfully apprehended the suspect. Authorities are praising Ivonne's decisive intervention as a key factor in preventing what could have been a devastating crime.

Ivonne, a teenager who asked to remain anonymous, told FOX 11 she was glad she was home doing laundry at the time of the incident.

"Honestly, I like to say it was a good day to be a chismosa [be nosy]," she told the station. "It's like it was meant to be for me to save her life in a way."