14-year-old girl downloads app to tell police she’s been kidnapped, Utah cops say
A teen downloaded an app to tell police she had been kidnapped while walking home, Utah police said.
Jonathan Simonji, 26, is accused of pulling up beside the 14-year-old girl, whom Simonji didn’t know, and trying to lure her in his car with food and alcohol, the Salt Lake City Police Department said in a Jan. 23 news release.
When the girl refused to get in and tried to run away, Simonji forced her into his car, police said.
“Simonji is accused of driving the girl to a nearby rental home where he continued to offer her alcohol and refused to let her leave,” according to police.
After the girl was unable to reach friends or family, she downloaded the SafeUT app, “a crisis chat and tip line that provides real-time crisis intervention for students, parents/guardians, and educators through live chat and a confidential tip line,” according to police.
She “communicated with a staff member” shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, and officers went to the home where they saw the two inside, police said.
While the “officers got the girl safely out of the home,” Simonji refused to leave and did not come out of the home for two hours, according to police.
Simonji was booked into jail on one count of second-degree felony kidnapping, police said.
