Woman prevents girl's kidnapping by pretending to be potential victim's mother

Authored by wftv.com and submitted by travelbae

0 Woman prevents girl's kidnapping by pretending to be potential victim's mother

SANTA ANA, Calif. - A woman dropping her child off at a Santa Ana, California, middle school is credited with preventing the kidnapping of a young girl walking to school, according to news outlets.

Amy Martinez was on her way to school Wednesday morning when a strange woman approached her and forced her to begin walking away with her, according to KTLA-TV.

"She just came up to me and went like this," the girl explained to KTLA as she described the woman grabbing her in a hug. “And then she started walking with me away.”

The girl screamed out for help and that’s when a good Samaritan, who wanted to remain anonymous, saw what was happening and quickly jumped into action.

Kidnapping foiled in @SantaAnaPD - Meet Amy and hear how she got away @cbsla #cbsla More at 4, 5 & 6

KCAL9/CBS2 pic.twitter.com/l1ApEctDfz — michele gile (@CBSmichelegile) February 21, 2018

She pretended to be the girl’s mother and demanded the woman release her.

"I was basically yelling, 'Let her go,' so as soon as my voice changed, she let her go and Amy walked into my car," the woman said, according to KTRK-TV.

She took the frightened girl to school and called police.

The suspect, identified as Claudia Hernandez Diaz, was arrested and later described as homeless by authorities.

Amy Martinez said the woman who saved her is a “hero.”

Amy Martinez was walking to school when police say a woman she didn't know ran across the street and grabbed her. That's when a #goodSamaritan intervened. https://t.co/qN0y0Qrfkl — ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) February 22, 2018

EricGoCDS on February 23rd, 2018 at 19:21 UTC »

When I lived in China, a number of reported kids kidnapping cases were much better planned. A first gang member, usually a young lady, would approach and try to drag the target boy or girl away. Some kids are very smart and may yell for help. Then the second gang member, usually an old lady, would come and pretend to protect the kid. The kid, no matter how smart he/she really is, would be confused and follow the second person.

tarex105 on February 23rd, 2018 at 17:43 UTC »

"I'm her mother" "No IM her mother" "No I'M THE MOTHER" "TUNE IN NEXT TIME TO FIND OUT WHOS THE MOTHER ON THE JEREMY KYLE SHOW"

OriginalBrittany on February 23rd, 2018 at 15:58 UTC »

It's good to know people are looking out for one another. I can't imagine how afraid the little girl was and how relieved she was that the hero woman spoke up. If you guys see something, as scary as it may seem, speak up.