Center City abduction attempt foiled
In what police call a "disturbing" incident, a 20-year-old woman in Center City was briefly kidnapped Tuesday evening by a man asking for help with a baby seat in his car.
In what police call a "disturbing" incident, a 20-year-old woman in Center City was briefly kidnapped Tuesday evening by a man asking for help with a baby seat in his car.
There was a baby seat in the car, the woman told police. It contained a doll.
The woman was walking north on the east side of 16th Street between Market Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard between 7:20 and 7:30 p.m. when she heard a man's voice asking for assistance to secure a baby seat, Capt. John Darby, commander of the Special Victims Unit, said this afternoon.
She offered to help and when she reached into the back seat, the man kicked in the back of the knees and then pushed her into the black four-door sedan, Darby said.
The man locked the door, got into the driver's seat and started driving north, Darby said. He had a black gun placed on the center arm rest and threatened to shoot her if she resisted.
At JFK Boulevard, the car got stuck in traffic and the woman managed to unlock the door and flee, Darby said. For the short time she was in the car, she saw that there was a doll in the baby seat.
Darby said she initially did not call police and went home, but was convinced to make a call by family members.
The woman was "not physically harmed nor was she sexually assaulted," Darby said. But he called the ruse and abduction with a gun "disturbing."
Her attacker was described as a black man, in his mid-20s, with a dark complexion and short hair. He weighed more than 200 pounds, and up to 6-feet tall with a muscular build.
Anyone with information about the alleged incident is urged to contact Special Victims at 215-685-3253 or 3254.
