The incident happened in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood shortly prior to 9 p.m. on Saturday night, when a woman was walking along Steiner Street. Reportedly she was between Green and Vallejo Streets when a man grabbed her from behind, placing a black bag over her head and then attempting to put her into his truck.
Motorist and neighbors come to the aid of the San Francisco woman
David Covert, a Pacific Heights resident, was in his home at the time and told ABC7 News he heard a woman screaming very loudly for around seven to ten seconds.
However it was a motorist that came to the San Francisco woman’s aid. According to a report by Fox 2, the 18-year-old man and his girlfriend were in a parked car in the area and saw the suspect – who they said looked to be in his forties – place the black bag over the woman’s head in a kidnapping attempt. The driver reportedly turned on his car’s bright lights, all the while honking his horn loudly. This brought several neighbors out of their homes, who then chased the suspect, ultimately scaring him away after he released the victim.
Witnesses say the suspect put a black bag over the woman's head and tried to drag her into his car around 9 p.m. https://t.co/wLEAKGeCVx
— KTVU (@KTVU) April 25, 2017
Kidnapping suspect tracked down in Petaluma
According to San Francisco Police Sgt.
Michael Andraychak, without the motorist’s intervention it is likely the attempted kidnapper would have succeeded and taken the woman into his vehicle. Reportedly the suspect did get away at the time, but not for long. Without stating how they did it, the SFPD tracked down the suspect the following day in Petaluma. He was taken into custody following a high-speed pursuit, followed by a collision.
Lt. Michael Nevin of Northern Station said the woman is safe due to the actions of what he dubbed “great Samaritans” in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, who came to her aid and prevented the woman's abduction. Fox 2 report that the unnamed 31-year-old woman did not know her attacker and that she had been on her way home from her place of work in the Marina District when it happened.
Female residents in San Francisco concerned about the attempted kidnapping
ABC7 News report that people they spoke to in the area, especially women who walk at night, have been shaken by the news of the attempted abduction. That report quoted Aliah Singh as saying it is really frightening, adding that she always assumes her own safety, but that she shouldn’t. Alex Ferroggiaro, another San Francisco resident said she tries not to look at her phone and to always be aware of what’s going on around her when she walks at night.
While police are not releasing the name of the suspect due to the ongoing investigation, they do state he is a 46-year-old Sonoma County man.
