Fast-Thinking Couple Helps Save Abducted Girl

Husband and wife's pursuit of suspicious car helps cops find an abducted 11-year-old girl
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 17, 2020 12:22 PM CST
Fast-Thinking Couple Helps Save Abducted Girl
Miguel Rodriguez, who's being charged with abducting an 11-year-old girl, is arraigned in Springfield District Court Thursday in Springfield, Mass.   (Leon Nguyen/The Republican via AP, Pool)

A couple said Friday that their fight-or-flight instinct kicked in when they spotted a car wanted in the abduction of a girl after she got off a school bus in Springfield, Massachusetts, per the AP. Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America, spouses Benny Correa and Amanda Disley described recognizing the vehicle sought in an Amber Alert in the abduction Wednesday of 11-year-old Charlotte Moccia. The couple said they were out getting dinner with their five children when the blue car drove by. Correa, in the driver's seat, began following the car. His wife called 911, giving their location as the driver sped up and ran red lights. The couple noticed the driver was pushing something down in the back seat. When you see someone's life in danger, "you go," Disley said.

But she said her husband slowed and let cars pass at the red lights before resuming the pursuit. She said they would never have put their children's lives in danger. Their tracking helped cops locate the car on the Massachusetts Turnpike, per MassLive.com. Police arrested the driver, 24-year-old Miguel Rodriguez, about six hours after the abduction. Not guilty pleas to charges including kidnapping were entered on his behalf, and he was ordered held without bail Thursday pending a hearing to determine whether he's a danger to society. The girl had no apparent injuries. Charlotte's parents singled out the couple in a statement. "In particular, we'd like to thank Amanda Disley and her husband for their vigilance and courage for putting themselves in harm's way to make sure [Charlotte] wasn't out of their sight," Carl and Denise Moccia said in the statement.

(More abduction stories.)

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