An 11-year-old girl escaped an attempted kidnapping in Florida as she waited at a bus stop on Tuesday.
Surveillance footage captured the girl waiting at the bus stop before 30-year-old Jared Paul Stanga pulled over in his white truck. Stanga is seen exiting the vehicle and rushing over to the girl with a knife before the girl attempts to run away. Once Stanga catches up and grabs her, she manages to free herself during the struggle and runs home.
"She went limp. She's kicking, she's pushing, she's punching, and she's able to get free," said Escambia County Sheriff Chip W. Simmons. "We're very fortunate that she's a fighter...and we're not out there today looking for a missing little girl. It's important to emphasize how horrible this could have been."
Stanga, who lived less than 10 minutes from the bus stop, had been watching the girl for weeks. After the girl mentioned it to her mom after he made her uncomfortable by talking to her, the mother began waiting at the bus stop with her. However, Stanga's attempted attack occurred on a day where the mother was not able to wait with her daughter.
Officers began searching for suspects after the family reported the incident. Stanga was eventually identified as the owner of the vehicle in the video. Despite recently painting the SUV, additional videos helped identify Stanga, including grocery store footage that showed the suspect with blue slime that the girl had been playing with.
Stanga reportedly has prior sexual abuse offenses and is being held without bond. He's been charged with attempted kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated assault, and battery.
Source: The Washington Post
