Hero Neighbor Saves Girl, 6, From Kidnapper

Albuquerque man foils child abduction
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 17, 2011 5:04 AM CDT
Hero Neighbor Saves Girl, 6, From Kidnapper
Antonio Diaz Chacon sits in his truck while talking to reporters about his efforts to save a 6-year-old girl.   (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Police in Albuquerque credit a quick-thinking neighbor with saving a little girl's life. Antonio Diaz Chacon, a 24-year-old mechanic, jumped in his pickup and gave chase after spotting a man throw a 6-year-old girl into a van as a neighbor shouted at him. He followed the van through a maze of neighborhoods and rescued the girl after the would-be kidnapper crashed the van into a pole and fled, AP reports.

Police found packing tape and a tie-down strap hidden under a rock just 25 feet from where the suspect crashed his van. "This little girl was very lucky," said a police spokeswoman. "We can only guess what would have happened to this child." A 29-year-old suspect has been charged with kidnapping, child abuse, and tampering with evidence. Diaz Chacon, who has two young daughters of his own, says he was proud to help. (More child abduction stories.)

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