Students step in to save middle schooler from bus stop kidnapping, Maryland police say
A man grabbed a child waiting at a school bus stop and dragged them away before other students stepped in, Maryland police said.
The middle school student broke free from the man’s grasp when the other students tried saving them from the kidnapping attempt the morning of March 20 in Montgomery County, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police.
The man tried pulling the child into a nearby apartment building, police said.
Jamaal Germany, 30, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, was arrested for attempted kidnapping following an investigation, according to a March 20 police news release.
After the student broke away from Germany, the school bus arrived and the students reported the incident to Redland Middle School staff after they arrived at the school in Rockville, according to a school letter sent to families and shared with McClatchy News.
School officials said police were immediately called and the suspect was identified afterward. The child wasn’t hurt, according to the school.
Now, police are on heightened alert at the school and the bus stop where the abduction attempt occurred, the school letter said.
“We are grateful for the quick action of our students and the bus driver,” the letter said.
School officials are making social emotional support available to the students who may have witnessed the attempted kidnapping, according to the letter.
Rockville is about 40 miles southwest of Baltimore.
This story was originally published March 21, 2023 at 7:59 AM with the headline "Students step in to save middle schooler from bus stop kidnapping, Maryland police say."
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