After a 16-year-old was reportedly kidnapped while walking down the street with her mother, and later dropped off at the same intersection where she was originally taken, authorities believe the incident may have been staged.
On December 16, 16-year-old Karol Sanchez and her mother were walking down the streets of New York when Sanchez’s mother started screaming, a witness told CBS New York.
“She was just screaming ‘My daughter, my daughter, my God someone please help me.’ She was screaming hysterically. And I was looking, wondering what was going on. She was just screaming in the street.”
It was later learned that the mother was screaming because she believed her daughter had just been kidnapped by four men. According to The New York Post, an Amber Alert was issued while authorities canvassed the area and put up missing person flyers.
Teen Reportedly Admits She Staged Her Own Kidnapping 15-Hours After She Returned
It was the following day, Tuesday, December 17, roughly 15 hours later that Sanchez’s family got a phone call from a man saying, they “got the wrong girl.” Sanchez then reappeared at the same intersection where she was reportedly kidnapped and revealed herself to two police officers.
Akash Singh, a 29-year-old construction worker who was working in the area and witnessed the teen’s return, described to The New York Post what he saw. “We were looking at the [missing poster] picture saying, ‘I hope she’s OK,’ and she walked right up.”
“She was trembling while she was walking. She just looked really scared. She put her hands on her knees and she started talking to the cops. They jumped out of the car and put her in.”
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It was after she was brought back to the 40th precinct that Sanchez reportedly confessed that she staged her own kidnapping. According to CBS New York, however, no charges have been filed against the 16-year-old yet.
It’s believed the teen was trying to get away from her parents. Authorities are still looking for the alleged accomplices in the scheme.