There are certain responsibilities we have to let our children do as they get older despite a crippling fear that something could go wrong.
Parents of 11-year-old Charlotte Moccia did what they thought was right but the worst case scenario happened.
Getting off the school bus, Charlotte was abducted by a stranger, and her parents and the authorities were unsure if they would ever see her again.
Hours had gone by and there was no word of Charlotte’s whereabouts. An Amber alert was sent out to try to get some help from the public in bringing little Charlotte home.
The alert issued in Springfield, Massachusetts described the abduction vehicle as a dark blue Honda Civic with distinctive rims.
The vehicle was identified by a neighbor, Maggie Kenney, who witnessed the kidnapping, which was done at knifepoint.
“[She] was screaming,” Kenney recalled to WCVB. “She was saying, ‘Stop, put me down, stop, put me down.'”
One couple, Benny Correa and wife Amanda Disley, was driving in nearby Brimfield when they saw a vehicle that fit the description of the one detailed in the Amber alert.
Their quick thinking and fearless pursuit of the vehicle may have been what saved Charlotte’s life.
Disley saw the Amber alert on Facebook, but never thought she would come face-to-face with the suspect.
“We just had a gut feeling it was the car,” Disley told ABC News.
The couple was out picking up dinner for their own family when they decided to take a detour.
Correa enthusiastically told his wife that the vehicle that had passed them at a stop sign was the one that she had showed him a picture of earlier that evening.
“I said, ‘Yo babe, that’s that car … that’s that car, I seen that car, you showed me that car,'” Correa said.
Calling 911 with the location and description of the vehicle, along with their suspicions, local authorities were on the way to investigate.
But Correa and Disley didn’t want to risk the little girl not being able to go home that night, so they continued to follow the vehicle that was an identical match to the picture released by police.
After a hot pursuit that allowed Correa and Disley to relay the license plate number to authorities they eventually ran out of gas.
But by this time, police were ready for the alleged suspect with a construction site on the turnpike to slow traffic down.
The detour worked, and police were able to apprehend 24-year-old Miguel Rodriguez who was charged with aggravated kidnapping and assault by means of a dangerous weapon among other things.
In the backseat, unharmed, was a scared 11-year-old Charlotte Moccia.
Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood said that “It was an absolute life and death situation for this little girl,” according to ABC News.
After a brief check up at the local hospital, Charlotte was reunited with her parents.
Lt. Charles Murray recognized Correa and Disley’s bravery, saying “We’re eternally grateful to the motorists that paid attention to the Amber Alert and called and reported seeing the vehicle,” reports ABC News.
If you hear an Amber alert don’t dismiss it. You could be the one that allows a parent’s nightmare to stop and a little child to return safely home.
It takes courage to act on your gut, and it is a blessing Correa and Disley had enough of it to do what was right.
While giving your children increased responsibility as they get older is an essential part of development, doing so in a safe environment can help reduce the chances of something going horribly awry.
Trust your kids, but trust your instincts also.