An 11-year-old girl in Florida who defended herself from a would-be kidnapper near a bus stop told TODAY that she learned the move while watching a crime show.
Alyssa Bonal was waiting alone at a bus stop around 7 a.m. on Tuesday in West Pensacola, Florida, when a knife-wielding suspect moved towards her, according to multiple reports and footage the New York Post obtained from police. (RELATED: 11-Year-Old Girl Fends Off Armed Kidnapper While Waiting For The Bus, Video Shows)
“The man got out of his vehicle holding a knife, came towards me and I tried to run, but he caught me,” Bonal told TODAY’s Kerry Sanders during a Thursday interview.
The video shows the suspect trying to drag Bonal toward his vehicle before a struggle ensues, and both the would-be kidnapper and the victim fall to the ground. The man darts to his vehicle and flees while Bonal runs away, video shows. But before the would-be kidnapper could escape, Bonal made sure to leave a mark for cops to find him.
While waiting for the bus, she was mixing blue paint and homemade slime, according to TODAY. When the assailant grabbed her, she smeared some of the mixture on his arms to leave an identifying mark for cops. Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons confirmed as much in a Wednesday statement reported by TODAY.
“The victim at the time of the attempted abduction was playing with blue slime,” Simmons reportedly said. “The suspect, when we caught him, had blue slime all over his own arms.”
Bonal told TODAY that watching “Law & Order: SVU” with her mother inspired the move.
“I knew that that might be better evidence if the cops do find him,” she said.
The suspect, 30-year-old Jared Paul Stanga, was reportedly arrested Tuesday afternoon and appeared before the Escambia County court via video conferencing Wednesday.
He faces one count each of attempted kidnapping and aggravated assault and battery, according to the Pensacola News Journal.
He received a “more than $1.5 million bond,” according to the News Journal. Stanga will appear before the court once again on June 10 for arraignment.