An elementary school teacher in Antioch, Calif., is being called a hero for stopping the alleged kidnapping of an 11-year-old while on her way to work.
The teacher, identified as teacher’s aide Sandra Ferguson, works at Sutter Elementary School. On Friday, while on her way to work, she noticed the 11-year-old girl, a student, with a man in the front seat of a car, said the Antioch Police Department.
Antioch PD says Sutter elementary school employee stopped attemp. kidnapping of 11yrOld. Fri. #abc7now pic.twitter.com/uDLYAkm51l
— Cbarnard (@CornellBarnard) October 17, 2015
The man was later identified as 51-year-old Santiago Salazar. Police said he followed the girl as she was going to school and lured her over to his car, ABC News reported.
Salazar opened the door from the inside and grabbed her by the wrist as she approached, police said.
Ferguson was familiar with the girl. After she saw the two in the car, she knew the man wasn’t related to her. As a result, she used her car to block the man before calling the police.
“You get out of that truck right now!” Thank goodness for this #Antioch teacher, who thwarted an alleged kidnapping. pic.twitter.com/oKTiKDJhAe
— Natasha Zouves ABC7 (@NatashaABC7) October 18, 2015
“I said, ‘Sweetheart, is that your dad?’ She said, ‘No he’s a friend.’ I said, ‘No, he’s not your friend!'” Ferguson told KGO-TV. “I put my car in front of his and blocked him in. I told her, ‘You get out of that truck right now!'”
School principal Debra Harrington told KGO-TV that Ferguson was a hero and the girl’s “guardian angel” for intervening.
