A fourth-grade boy from Pennsylvania recently foiled his own potential kidnapping after he asked a cashier to pretend she was his mom. Chilling video captured the moment the quick-thinking 10-year-old boy eluded a stranger who the child said was trying to lure him away.
Fox 29 reported that while the boy was walking home from his school in Pottstown, which is located about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia, he noticed a woman suddenly following him for several blocks.
The boy told the outlet that the woman asked him if he wanted to come with her to Wawa. The woman then asked the boy if he is going to Wawa and what is he getting? The boy added that the woman also asked him where his family was.
Dad asks store clerk to act like she is his mother
Soon after that exchange, a video showed the boy, who was wearing a green backpack, walk into a corner store. The kid then approached the store's 17-year-old clerk, Hannah Daniels. The stranger can be seen behind the boy, standing at the front door of the store and holding it open.
Daniels recalled the boy telling her to act like she is his mom as this lady is following him, CBS News reported. The clerk said that the boy was really panicked. She helped calm him down, telling him to go to the back of the store. She added that he did not want to leave her side.
Video showed the clerk calmly walk over to the front door. She then locked it, forcing the woman to walk away. The boy's dad told WPVI-TV that he broke down while watching the video.
He said that to see his child looking for help because he was basically afraid for his life cuts him deep. The father was proud of his son, saying that he handled the situation very well. The father advised fellow parents to warn their kids about stranger danger.
He said that they should think of every scenario and make sure that their children know and also practice it. He wants moms and dads to practice their situations and scenarios just like fire drills.
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Kidnapping attempt not reported to police
Police Chief Mick Markovich of the Pottstown Police Department said the incident was not reported to the cops. He told USA TODAY on Thursday that they saw the video on Facebook and investigated it from there.
He added that several of their officers recognized the woman on the Facebook video. They said she is a local homeless woman that is often in the area. He said that officers located the woman over the weekend and that she was getting help for her mental health issues.
The clerk who saved the boy was being hailed a hero for her actions that day. The store posted on its Facebook page that they are so very proud of Hannah.
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