Good Samaritans thwart motorist's attempted kidnappings of 2 girls in broad daylight in separate incidents: Authorities

A pair of Good Samaritans thwarted a male motorist's attempted kidnappings of two girls in broad daylight in separate incidents Tuesday, authorities in Michigan said.

The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office said 23-year-old Endi Bala of Shelby Township around 1:30 p.m. "attempted to unlawfully imprison a 15-year-old girl who was walking along Clinton River Road in Clinton Township. A witness intervened, allowing the victim to escape, and the suspect fled the scene."

'As a community, we owe an immense debt of gratitude to the courageous Good Samaritans who stepped in without hesitation, risking their own safety to save these young girls,' Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said.

Bala allegedly grabbed the girl around her head and neck, NBC News said, citing a separate statement from the Clinton Township Police Department.

Paul Billiter — the bystander who intervened — told NBC News he was doing yard work when he saw a car pull up next to the girl and heard a male ask her if she needed a ride. Billiter added to the news network that the male grabbed the girl “like a sack of potatoes” and pulled her to the side of his car.

“I bolted toward the car because something was obviously going wrong,” Billiter recalled to NBC News, adding that he grabbed the male by the neck as he was trying to force the girl into the vehicle, which gave her time to escape. Police told the news network the victim told others about what happened, and they called 911. The suspect fled the scene in his white sedan, police added to NBC News.

Billiter told the news network a police officer about 45 minutes later told him Sterling Heights police arrested Bala in connection with another attempted kidnapping.

“It never even occurred to me that he would have went down the street and try this again,” Billiter told NBC News, adding that the whole thing makes him “sick to my stomach.”

The prosecutor's office said Bala, about an hour after the Clinton Township incident, allegedly approached a 7-year-old girl in Sterling Heights "where he forcibly took her off her bicycle, and placed her in his car, and attempted to leave the park. However, a bystander blocked Bala's vehicle, enabling the young girl to escape." Sterling Heights is about seven miles west of Clinton Township; both municipalities are a little less than an hour north of Detroit.

The girl’s aunt, Alecia Swejkoski, told NBC News she “knew exactly what he was doing” when Bala pulled up to her niece in his car and then immediately began screaming for her niece to run. Swejkoski added to the news network that after Bala snatched her niece off her bike, she and Bala both ran toward the car where Bala was trying to shove the girl inside. But Swejkoski told NBC News she “flew” through a car window where she "fought" Bala, who began driving the car back and forth to shake Swejkoski loose and prevent the girl from escaping.

A driver in another car blocked Bala’s vehicle so he couldn’t drive away, Swejkoski told the news network, which allowed her niece to open a door and run away.

Coryne Childers, the victim’s mom, said her daughter is “hanging in there pretty well” but that “she’ll never be the same.” Childers warned parents to “be aware; don’t let your children go anywhere without eyes on them."

What happened next?

Bala was charged with attempted unlawful Imprisonment and assault and battery in connection with the Clinton Township incident the prosecutor's office said, adding that he was charged with kidnapping – child enticement, reckless driving, and assault and battery in connection with the Sterling Heights incident.

In connection with the Clinton Township incident, a judge set Bala's bond at $2 million cash, the prosecutor's office said, adding that if released Bala must wear a steel cuff tether, be on home confinement, have no contact with the victims or anyone under the age of 18, and have no weapons. In connection with the Sterling Heights incident, a judge denied Bala's bond and remanded him to the Macomb County Jail.

“As a community, we owe an immense debt of gratitude to the courageous Good Samaritans who stepped in without hesitation, risking their own safety to save these young girls," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said. "Their quick actions not only thwarted a crime but also ensured that these brave girls were able to return home safely. We will do everything in our power to ensure that the individual responsible for this terrifying act faces justice."

You can view an NBC News video report here showing a surveillance clip of one of the alleged attempted kidnappings and interviews with witnesses.

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