Quick-Thinking Cops Rescue Young Girl Abducted from School Bus
Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
Thanks to Massachusetts police officers, Charlotte Moccia, 11, of Springfield was able to escape unharmed after she was abducted on Wednesday when getting off of her school bus.
Read on to discover how the police thought to use a highway construction site to stop the kidnapper’s vehicle just in time. Motorists on the Massachusetts Turnpike were also quick to react.
Not long after Charlotte got off of her school bus on Wednesday, she was forced into a blue Honda around 1:26 PM. An Amber Alert was issued by authorities with photos of Charlotte, along with a photo of the car allegedly used in the abduction.
Around 7:15 PM, 911 calls started pouring in to the state police from motorists who had spotted the car near Brimfield, which is about a half-hour away from Springfield.
Officers were quick to respond and used a road construction site to start funneling traffic from along the turnpike into one lane. When the suspect’s car came into view, they were able to stop it, and found Charlotte inside, in the back seat.
They also were able to see that the suspect had a visible knife in the pocket of the car door. Three officers worked together to save Charlotte, with one officer removing her safely from the car while the other two removed the suspect at gunpoint.
The suspect has been taken into custody and will soon face charges for his actions.
After being rescued, Charlotte was transported to a local hospital for a precautionary evaluation, but authorities say she had no apparent injuries. State Police Lt. Bob Ackerman of Charlotte said, “She’s an amazing little girl. I can’t believe how strong she was dealing with this.”
Another officer, Lt. Charles Murray, said, “We’re eternally grateful to the motorists that paid attention to the Amber Alert and called and reported seeing the vehicle. There were a number of those calls and they made this rescue possible.”