Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Boy thwarts woman's attempt to abduct him by asking shop worker to pretend to be his mum

A quick-thinking little boy escaped an attempted abduction by asking a shop assistant to pretend to be his mother.

Sammy Green was walking home from school when a woman began following him down the high street.

The sharp ten-year-old didn't panic - and quickly thought-up a plan to get himself out of trouble.

He eluded the woman who was trying to lure him away and peppered him with strange questions that he said made him uncomfortable.

She offered him "anything he wanted" in local shop Wawa, where he saw 17-year-old Hannah Daniels behind the till and asked for her help.

Sammy Green and his dad Sam spoke about the traumatic incident (WPVI)

He whispered in her ear while the woman waited outside and asked her to pretend to be his mum.

Police later tracked down the woman, and said she was undergoing treatment for mental health issues.

Sammy told CBS News: “She was like, ‘I’m going to Wawa. Are you going there? What are you getting from Wawa? Where’s your family at?'

CCTV footage shows the woman waiting outside the shop (WPVI)

“I was still shaking when I was in here."

Hannah told the network: “He was like, ‘Pretend like you’re my mom and I was just like, ‘All right, go to the back.’ He didn’t want to leave my side.”

Video captures the moment the lad, from Pennsylvania, US, asked her to step in and take him to safety.

Sam Green, the boy's dad, told WPVI : “She started walking with him and asking him where his family was, asking where his dad was.

Sammy had to think on his feet and his decision proved crucial (WPVI)

“She said she probably knew me and was going to Wawa and that he was supposed to go with her and he could get anything he wanted.

“When we were watching that video, I cried every time I saw it.

“Think of every scenario and make sure that children know and also practice it. Practice your situations and scenarios just like fire drills.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.