An 11-year-old girl, called M. to protect her identity, was almost abducted mid-day Wednesday on a busy road on Shlomo Shmeltzer Street in Petah Tikva, near the soccer stadium, with the incident caught on a vehicle dash camera.
M. was about to cross the street at the signaled crosswalk when suddenly a man appeared in front of her, lifted her into the air, and crossed the road just as her father was trying to reach her again. Citizens, who initially thought she was a family member, realized she was in distress from her screams, got out of their cars, and ran to help her.
Some of the bystanders jumped out of their vehicles, with one even off a heavy motorcycle he was riding, and rushed toward the suspect, who was trying to stop her from escaping. According to one eyewitness, the suspect even tried to grab her by the neck. The intervening bystanders tackled the suspect and restrained him.
Attorney Vic Reitman, a friend of M.'s mother who is accompanying her for treatment following the incident, told Maariv: "M. is a rhythmic gymnast on nearby Hamefalsim Street and was on her way there. Her father was on a work shift. She got off the bus and was on the phone with her father."
A dashcam from a nearby parked car recorded the incident from the start, and the final seconds of the video showed the screams of the girl's mother, which alerted the citizens.
'We won't let this story fade away'
"At first people didn't understand what was even happening, because nobody can process that in the middle of the day someone would dare snatch a child like that," says attorney Reitman.
"Police arrived at the scene very quickly and first took her for examination at the hospital, where, as we understand it, he assaulted a medical staff member and was therefore arrested and taken to the police. We won't let this story fade away. It's important to instill in children the understanding that, in such bizarre and insane situations, they must not give in. They have to scream at the top of their lungs to summon help, and there are also good people who step up to help," he added.
Reitman concludes: "It's important for every child to know they need to exercise extra caution, and in a situation like this, not to stop screaming and showing signs of distress. She was in a place that wasn't deserted, in the middle of the day, so this could happen to anyone. Fortunately, this is how it ended, and thank you to everyone who helped her."
The police also issued a statement about the incident: "From the moment the report was received, officers from the Petah Tikva station in the Central District arrived at the scene quickly, took control of the incident, and arrested the suspect."
"Subsequently, after he was taken for medical evaluation, he allegedly assaulted a female medical staff member and was arrested again. The Israel Police will continue to act quickly and decisively to ensure public safety," the report added.