BERKLEY, MI (WXYZ) — Police are scouring ring doorbell cameras in one Berkley neighborhood after they say a man tried to kidnap a 12-year-old girl.
The incident happened at around 5 p.m. Wednesday near the area of Kipling and Sunnyknoll Avenues.
Police say the man was driving a white van and grabbed the girl by her backpack as she walked home from school. Thankfully, the child was able to fight her way free.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, non-family abductions account for just 1% of missing children cases.
The girl tells police that the man was wearing a face mask so his description at the moment is pretty vague. But police are looking for a generic-looking white van with a ladder and PVC Pipe on top and say the suspect is about 6’5, white, with a medium build. He was wearing jeans and tan work boots.
“I’m so proud of the girl. For kicking and screaming and running," neighbor Kevin Quinn said.
People in this quiet Berkley neighborhood are now shaken, to say the least, after hearing a 12-year-old girl narrowly escaped an attempted abduction Wednesday afternoon.
This hits close to home for Ken Whitmore because the incident happened right outside his house. He also has a 16-year-old daughter.
Unfortunately, his ring camera didn’t pick much up but Ken is hoping someone else does so police can catch the suspect.
“This is a very busy area," Whitmore said. "There’s two schools. The Middle School and the High School are right here. There’s constant traffic all right here. So someone had to see something."
Berkley Police say they are still looking for surveillance footage that shows them what happened, what the suspect might look like, or where he may be. If anyone has any information, call the Berkley Police Department.
