A deeply jarring scene was captured on surveillance video in May of 2021. At a bus stop in Pensacola, Florida, a little girl was nearly kidnapped. However, the brave 11-year-old managed to fight off the attacker and narrowly escaped being dragged into his car.
The girl can be seen in the shocking footage sitting on the ground, waiting for the school bus to come and pick her up. That's when a white SUV approaches and parks. The man runs straight at the child and attempts to grab her. But she fiercely resists.
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It's hard to tell by looking at the footage, but the man is holding a knife. Yet somehow, despite him having a weapon and being much bigger than she is, she is able to kick and punch her way free.
The 11-year-old may have saved her own life with her tenacity! That's especially true because the man who tried to take her was very dangerous. Police quickly sprang into action, going on an hours-long manhunt to find the would-be kidnapper.
Finally, they found him. On Tuesday evening, Jared Paul Stanga, 30, was arrested and charged him with attempted kidnapping of a child under 13 and aggravated assault and battery. This man has an extensive criminal record. Some of his criminal history included past sex crimes against children.
Sheriff Chip Simmons spoke out about the incident at a news conference on Tuesday. "I cannot help to think that this could have ended very differently," he said. "Had this 11-year-old victim not thought to fight and to fight and to just never give up, than this could have ended terribly."
The most shocking part of the story is that the little girl had actually seen this man before. According to police, about two weeks earlier, he approached her at the same bus stop. During that encounter, he began speaking to her in Spanish.
After that incident, the girl's mother began accompanying her to the bus stop. The man must've been watching her the entire time because Tuesday was the first day her mother was not with her.
"We believe that this person has either been watching her specifically or was walking around, looking for an opportunity. Either way, it’s bad," Sheriff Simmons said.
Stanga was booked in Escambia County Jail.
Sheriff Simmons praised the little girl for her bravery but said she is working through the trauma of the event. “She fought like a trooper and one of these days I’m going to give her an award for fighting and fighting and fighting,” he said.
