Heroic 15-Year-Old Rescues Abducted Girl
15-year-old Temar Boggs from Gable Park Woods, PA, has been hailed as a hero after chasing down the car in which a five-year-old kidnapped girl was being held in. The attempted kidnap took place outside an apartment block on Thursday in Lancaster Township. When news broke, community members took to the streets to try to find the missing child.
Temar Boggs, along with a group of friends, heard of the abduction while helping to move a couch. He told Lancaster Online that despite not knowing the little girl, "We got all of our friends to go look for her. We made our own little search party."
They first searched the local woods but when that was unsuccessful, Temar and another friend, Chris Garcia, started cycling around the maze of streets to check there. According to Boggs, he had a "gut feeling that I was going to find the little girl."
That was when he spotted a young girl in a maroon car being driven by an older man. He followed and, according to Lancaster Online, the car began to weave in and out of the cul-de-sacs streets connecting to Gable Park to try to get away. Boggs pursued and, due to his efforts, the car came to a standstill. The girl was pushed out and the driver drove away.
Boggs described how the little girl ran into his arms, calling for her mommy. He half cycled, half carried her back to police officers, where she had to be persuaded to leave his arms. "She didn't want to leave me because she thought they were going to do something to her," Boggs said. "I said, 'No, it's OK.'"
According to police, the girl's abductor took her out for ice cream before attempting to drive her away. There are indications of assault.
Temar Boggs' heroic actions may well be responsible for saving the five-year-old's life. He has been praised by the local community, and the girl's family have expressed their extreme gratitude. Tracey Clay, the girl's grandmother, said, "I'm so grateful. It's something you don't wish on anybody."
In light of recent events, Temar Boggs' rapid and successful response has shown how important and crucial a role neighbors can play in abduction incidents. As Sgt. Jeff Jones commented, "We've certainly all heard of worse stories with not so happy endings, but this would be a much happier ending if we find the person responsible."