A group of sharp young people who thwarted an alleged kidnapping attempt Monday in Maryland are being praised for their bravery.
The incident happened at 7:20 a.m. while a child waited at a bus stop on Towne Crest Drive, NBC News reported Tuesday.
Montgomery County Police accused the suspect in the case, Jamaal Germany of Gaithersburg, of grabbing the child and pulling the individual toward a nearby apartment building.
However, when other students at the bus stop saw what was happening, they knew they had to do something to help the child, according to the police department’s social media post.
The group tried to intervene, and thanks to their efforts, the child broke free and was not hurt.
“When the school bus arrived, all the students boarded the bus and the incident was reported to school staff,” the agency continued.
Once detectives identified the 30-year-old man as the suspect, they arrested him for attempted kidnapping. Authorities are holding him at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
According to Child Find of America, children can go missing for a variety of reasons, one of them being stranger abduction.
“Non-family abductions occur when someone who is not a relative abducts and detains a child without lawful authority or parental permission with the intention to keep the child permanently,” the site read.
Attempted abductions are more likely to happen when a child is on his or her way to and from their school campus or school activities, per the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
“School-age children are at greatest risk on school days before and after school (7-9 a.m. and 3-4 p.m.) and after dinner time (6-7 p.m.),” the website said.
Per the NBC report, one parent said the apparent kidnapping attempt happened once before.
In a letter, principals at Redland Middle School, Judith A Resnik Elementary School, and Col. Zadok Magruder High School informed parents about what happened, noting there would continue to be an increased security presence at the bus stop.
Meanwhile, social media users praised the group of students who helped the child, one person writing, “Awesome and brave kids to jump in and assist!”
“Great job kids. We all have to be the EYES to protect and report to police immediately,” another commented.
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