A heroic couple from Massachusetts saved the life of an 11-year-old girl who had been kidnapped at knifepoint by doing everything they could to thwart the abduction.
Benny Correa and Amanda Disley were on their way home when they spotted a vehicle that matched the description of a dark blue Honda Civic that police were on the lookout for in Brimfield, Massachusetts.
The couple remembered the car’s tinted windows and rims from a local news report they watched talking about the abduction that afternoon. A young girl named Charlotte Moccia had been abducted moments after getting off of the school bus in Springfield.
Couple Helps Police Thwart the Abduction of an 11-Year-Old Girl
This is video of Charlotte walking home from school on Tuesday. The man in the foreground is not a suspect. The car that drives by is similar and believed to be the car involved in Wednesday’s abduction. #findcharlotte pic.twitter.com/afCXHjSqC4
— Ryan Walsh (@PIO_SPD) January 15, 2020
The pair decided to follow the vehicle with their five children in the car with them, while on the phone with 911. As they talked with police, it was confirmed that the plate number matched the suspect’s car.
Amanda told ABC News, “We just had a gut feeling it was the car. It was just an instinct of fight or flight that kicked in.”
Things got dramatic when Benny had to keep up with the speeding vehicle. “I cut off people and I got up close to the car. I had to do what I had to do, being a father.”
Eventually, the couple’s car ran out of fuel, but their heroic work had already paid off. While the family was trailing the vehicle, police were setting up at a construction site and were funneling traffic into one lane, making it easy for them to spot the suspect’s car.
Police stopped the car in question, which belonged to 24-year-old Miguel Rodriguez and took him into custody. A knife was found in the vehicle and the young girl was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
We now have a mugshot of the #Springfield kidnapping suspect Miguel Rodriguez. 11-year-old Charlotte Moccia was reunited with her family last night, about 6 hours after she abducted. Rodriguez is charged with kidnapping, a&b with a dangerous weapon, and witness intimidation. pic.twitter.com/C9KFE7LbEJ
— Monica Ricci (@MonicaWWLP) January 16, 2020
“It was an absolute life and death situation for this little girl,” said Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood to ABC News. The suspect was charged with aggravated kidnapping and assault by means of a dangerous weapon and is being held without bail.
Charlotte’s parents, Carl and Denise Moccia, released a statement expressing their gratitude for their daughter’s safe return.
“In particular we’d like to thank Amanda Disley and her husband for their vigilance and courage for putting themselves in harm’s way to make sure she wasn’t out of their sight. The outpouring of love and support, near and far, is overwhelming. We are eternally grateful.”
Incredible.