It’s a disturbing story that unfolded at a Pennsylvania mall early Wednesday night.
Two men allegedly tried to kidnap a 14-year-old girl when people were busy shopping around 7pm.
Abington Township Police, who are leading the investigation, believe the two suspects even approached another teenage girl at the Willow Grove Park mall 30 minutes before the abduction attempt, reports ABC. The two men could have been “scared” when a friend of the young woman got in touch.
“We’re receiving information from FBI special teams who rushed to our aid,” Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy said.
The kidnapping attempt happened when the victim, separated from her friends after a short time, was alone in the mall.
One of the suspects told the girl his name was Alex and asked her to go with him, even extending his arm to accompany her, police said on their Facebook page.
The teenager replied that she was underage and tried to walk away from him, but the man, who police described as a man between 25 and 40, grabbed her arm firmly to lead her through the mall.
Fortunately, the girl managed to free herself from the attacker’s grip, screamed and ran away.
Several customers witnessed the scene and intervened to protect the teenager and stop the suspect from approaching her, police said.
After reviewing security video, investigators identified another man as Alex’s accomplice.
The two suspects quickly left the mall in a dark-colored Dodge or Chrysler van.
The police are still looking for them.