We've grown pretty familiar with daily heinous-crime reports in Philly of late. But every so often, along comes a story that shatters any desensitization. Wednesday offered one of those stories.
At a press conference, Philadelphia Police released a crisp, detailed video of an attempted abduction of a 10-year-old girl from the previous afternoon. She was walking home from a store in South Philadelphia with her 2-year-old brother when an unknown dirtbag trailed them, got out of his car — described as an "older model 4-door white vehicle" — and followed them on foot to pounce.
UPDATE: Police have a suspect in custody.
The suspect then put his hand over the girl's mouth and attempted to carry her away. The girl struggled with the male, and then fell. The male then fled in his vehicle east on Porter Street.
A brave, lucky girl, as the video clearly shows.
We bring this to you, readers, since the Philadelphia Police hasn't narrowed the vehicle description down very far. Here's what they said, in offering a $10,000 reward in the case:
Vehicle Description: Late 1990's-early 2000's white mid sized foreign 4 door possibly a Mitsubishi or Nissan a black scuff mark on driver's side rear bumper and dent on left front fender wheel well.
Let's see what we can do to help pinpoint the exact make, model and year before this guy tries to kidnap another child.
I'm sitting less than a block away from Philadelphia Police headquarters; if we figure something out, I can deliver Jalopnik readers' findings by hand.
If you're in Philly and see this suspect do not approach him, contact 911 immediately. To submit a tip via telephone, dial 215.686.TIPS (8477) or text a tip to PPD TIP or 773847.
Wanted: Suspect for Attempted Abduction of a 10 Year-Old Girl [Philadelphia Police]
$10,000 reward in Philly girl abduction attempt [NewsWorks]