Man Leaps Into Action After He Sees Stranger Pick Up Little Girl And Throw Her Into His Car

Aug 18, 2021

Being in the right place at the right time can make all the difference, as one man learned back in early July 2021. The man is named Prentiss Weatherford, and he lives in a neighborhood located in Louisville, Kentucky. After what seemed like a typical day proved to be anything but, he showed what a true hero he really is. Weatherford has since been given the title after helping to save a little girl from an alleged abduction. 

Every parent’s worst nightmare is losing a child. There is an immense amount of danger and uncertainty in the world, so it is incredibly important to keep an eye on kids while they play outside and warn them about the dangers of interacting with strangers. In July 2021, Weatherford had been spending time outside of his house when he noticed something jarring. A 6-year-old girl had been riding her bike when a man walked over to her, picked her up and threw her in the passenger seat of his car. The man quickly sped off with the girl inside his vehicle. 

No one else seemed to be around to see the incident that had just unfolded, leaving Weatherford to figure out what to do next. He immediately sprung into action, knowing something was wrong and that he needed to do whatever he could to help. Using some quick thinking and not hesitating to jump into action, Weatherford reached out to the local police department to join the hunt in finding the suspect and the scared little girl.

Inside Edition reported that after Weatherford saw a man grab a 6-year-old girl and throw her into the passenger seat of a car, he knew he needed to help. Speaking with the news outlet, he detailed the horrific situation. “He just walked up, grabbed her by the collar, picked her up off the bike, and then just tossed her in the passenger seat,” Weatherford explained.

After witnessing the incident, Weatherford quickly jumped into his own car and sped off after the suspect who had taken the little girl. He had luckily been able to get a partial license plate number and noted that the car was a red Dodge Challenger, according to Inside Edition. Unfortunately, Weatherford lost sight of the vehicle, but had called the police and gave them the information he had. The tips he provided the officers helped them track down the suspect after an entire police division joined the rescue mission.

Inside Edition reported that the search ended 10 minutes later after the unit found the suspect, who had given up without a struggle. The little girl was still in the front seat of the suspect’s car and cried before being pulled out by an officer. Officer Jason Burba praised Weatherford, and said, “It was extremely important. The partial plate and the overall description of the car, which was really specific, we were able to find that vehicle because of that.” Inside Edition reported that the suspect pleaded not guilty to kidnapping a minor.

Weatherford later opened up about what it has been like to be called a hero by so many people. “Thank you for the kind words,” he said. “I really appreciate it and just hope you guys would do the same in that situation.”

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