A Maryland man attempted to snatch a student waiting at a bus stop, but was thwarted by a few brave preteens.
Jamaal Germany, 30, was arrested for trying to abduct an unnamed middle school child aged 11 to 13, while they waited to catch their school bus to Redland Middle School on Monday morning.
The incident happened at around 7:20 in the morning, when Germany approached the child and dragged them towards a nearby apartment building.
A few brave fellow students became everyday heroes, when they ganged up on Germany and helped get their classmate, who was unharmed, out of his grip.
The group boarded the bus when it arrived and told staff at Redland Middle School about the attempted crime when they made it safely to class.
Faculty members reported the incident to the school’s Community Engagement Officer, which led to investigators from Montgomery County Police Department arresting Germany.
The school district warned parents about the incident, and informed them of an increased police presence at the bus stop where the almost kidnapping occurred.
“You don’t expect to hear things like that in general happening so close to home,” said Redland Middle School parent Jartu Toweh.
“We know these things happen in the world, but it’s very unsettling when it happens close to your community.
According a neighbor, it’s not the first time that Germany has attempted to abduct a child.
“I have a high school student, and she catches the bus early in the morning,” said a local mother. “Apparently, he was at the bus stop last week doing the same thing.”
Three unidentified neighbors said that Germany had “threatened and yelled at them” in the past few days.
Another heroic student was honored at Oklahoma’s Lakeview Elementary for saving the life of a classmate.
When classmate Cashton York started choking on a chicken nugget, eight-year-old Garrett Brown sprung into action and performed the Heimlich maneuver, successfully dislodging the food.
“Extremely scary to know in a matter of seconds my child could have choked to death on food, at school when you’re not around,” York’s mom remarked
“There are not enough words to be grateful for saving him,” she added.
Brown was honored by the school and community for his life saving actions, which he had been trained to do by his father.
“My dad taught me. I was choking and he saved me and taught me to save someone else,” Brown commented.
