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Pennsylvania Teen Helps Thwart Possible Kidnapping Of Quick-Thinking 10-Year-Old Boy
Surveillance video shows a darkly-clothed woman following 10-year-old Sammy Green before he walked into a flower shop and told the teen cashier, "pretend you're my mom."
A child thinking fast on his feet might have evaded a possible kidnapping when he turned to a teen for help.
On Friday, Sammy Green, just 10 years old, was on High Street during his walk home from school in Pottstown, about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia, when an unknown woman allegedly began following him. She allegedly said she knew Sammy’s family and that he needed to go with her to a Wawa convenience store, according to ABC Philadelphia affiliate WPVI-TV.
Surveillance video published by WPVI-TV and CBS Philadelphia affiliate KYW-TV shows the stranger trailing just behind the child, dressed in black and carrying a sizeable dark-colored backpack.
“She was like, ‘I’m going to Wawa. Are you going there?’” the 10-year-old told KYW-TV. “‘What are you getting from Wawa? Where’s your family at?’”
The boy’s father, Sam Green, told WPVI-TV that the woman said Sammy could get whatever he wanted.
That’s when the quick-thinking boy spotted Dani Bee Funky — a flower and gift shop located on the corner of East High Street and North Charlotte Street.
Sammy found 17-year-old employee Hannah Daniels and told her someone was following him.
“He was like, ‘pretend you’re my mom,’” Hannah told the CBS affiliate. “And I was just like, ‘Alright, go to the back.’ He didn’t want to leave my side.”
Sammy and Hannah’s accounts line up with surveillance video footage, in which the child walks into the store. The woman holds the door open after Sammy, who then walks behind the counter and cups a whisper into the teen cashier’s ear.
The stranger stays at the entrance and seemingly waits.
Hannah gets up and places herself between the boy and the woman before taking the door from the possible kidnapper and pulling it shut, locking it with a key.
The female stranger walks away.
“I was still shaking when I was in here,” Sammy told KYW-TV.
“When we were watching that video, I cried every time I saw it,” Sammy’s father told WPVI-TV.
Dani Bee Funky, owned by Dani Small, is among many in the community praising both the boy and the teen for their response to the alarming incident.
“When [Sammy] says, ‘This store just makes me feel safe,’ our hearts melted. Dani Bee Funky wants everyone to know that we love our community,” they wrote on their Facebook page. “I teach in this town. I live in this town. Our business is in this town because Pottstown is an amazing place.”
The business says they are “very proud” of Hannah, adding, “She is humbled.”
“Our hearts go out to Sammy and his family, as they have become family to us!” the post continued. “Thank you for the kind words and the inspiration Sending love and light.”
Pottstown Police officials said they tracked down the unnamed woman and referred her to mental health services.
According to KYW-TV, Sammy now walks home from school with a friend.
