The three Wright kids were playing at a park close by their babysitters house when a parents worst nightmare unfolded.
A shady character
A male figure quietly approached the three playing children and began talking to them.
He says, Im good with kids, eight-year-old Delicia told Inside Edition. I got this. Ive been babysitting. He sounds nice, but hes really not nice.
Suddenly, the male scooped up the youngest Wright child, 22-month-old Owen, and ran off with him. Delicia and her ten-year-old brother Brenden watched in horror as their little brother was being kidnapped before their eyes. Delicia and Brenden were the only witnesses, and it was up to them to try to save him.
A panicked rescue attempt
The kidnapper ran along street with Owen bouncing in his arms. With the scene taking place in Sprague, Washington, a town with a population lower than 500, there was a good chance the abductor was going to get away with his crime.
But Delicia and Brenden did everything they could to stop him. Delicia immediately bolted after the man, yelling and screaming as loud as she could. Brenden was only a few paces behind her, still pushing Owens empty stroller.
Hearing the alarm
Though their town is small, Delicia and Brenden luckily attracted attention from several bystanders.
A group of teenagers heard Delicias shouts, including Andrew Cain, who described the scene saying, Theres a girl running behind him, hes running down an alleyway with a kid, things dont look right.
The teens and other witnesses also started chasing the kidnapper.
Another woman who heard the Owen childrens ruckus called 911, telling the dispatcher, A man grabbed a 2-year-old baby child, and was running with it. The little kid started screaming.
When the man realized there were several people watching and chasing him, he got scared and abandoned his attempted abduction. After putting little Owen down in an abandoned lot, he ran off before anyone identified him.
You did exactly what you needed to do.
Owen escaped the terrifying situation unharmed, all thanks to the bravery and quick-thinking of his older siblings.
I told that little girl, you did exactly what you needed to do. Scream your head off. said one of the witnesses, Dorothy Giddens. That was what saved that baby. It was her screaming and us running.
Kathleen Baty, personal safety expert, told Inside Edition Delicia did exactly the right thing in the case of emergencymake a racket to attract attention. Baty said making noise can be the difference between life and death.
Aftermath of the attempted kidnapping
Deputies in the area began the search for the abductor soon after the incident. Within three days, they found him and made the arrest. They were surprised to find that the menacing figure was only 15 years old.
After being held in a juvenile detention facility, the unnamed minor soon plead guilty to a second-degree charge of kidnapping.
What all parents should keep in mind
Batys advised all parents to teach their children the best responses if they find themselves in a similar situation. Instilling your kids that when they are out in the public, that if an adult comes up to them, they need to have that gut reaction and go the other way, and yell and scream as loud as they can.
Michael Wright, the childrens father, said, I wouldnt want this to happen to anyone else.
If a similar situation does happen to anyone else, hopefully parents will teach their children to react as the Wright children didwith bravery, fast legs and a lot of noise.
A shady character
A male figure quietly approached the three playing children and began talking to them.
He says, Im good with kids, eight-year-old Delicia told Inside Edition. I got this. Ive been babysitting. He sounds nice, but hes really not nice.
Suddenly, the male scooped up the youngest Wright child, 22-month-old Owen, and ran off with him. Delicia and her ten-year-old brother Brenden watched in horror as their little brother was being kidnapped before their eyes. Delicia and Brenden were the only witnesses, and it was up to them to try to save him.
A panicked rescue attempt
The kidnapper ran along street with Owen bouncing in his arms. With the scene taking place in Sprague, Washington, a town with a population lower than 500, there was a good chance the abductor was going to get away with his crime.
But Delicia and Brenden did everything they could to stop him. Delicia immediately bolted after the man, yelling and screaming as loud as she could. Brenden was only a few paces behind her, still pushing Owens empty stroller.
Hearing the alarm
Though their town is small, Delicia and Brenden luckily attracted attention from several bystanders.
A group of teenagers heard Delicias shouts, including Andrew Cain, who described the scene saying, Theres a girl running behind him, hes running down an alleyway with a kid, things dont look right.
The teens and other witnesses also started chasing the kidnapper.
Another woman who heard the Owen childrens ruckus called 911, telling the dispatcher, A man grabbed a 2-year-old baby child, and was running with it. The little kid started screaming.
When the man realized there were several people watching and chasing him, he got scared and abandoned his attempted abduction. After putting little Owen down in an abandoned lot, he ran off before anyone identified him.
You did exactly what you needed to do.
Owen escaped the terrifying situation unharmed, all thanks to the bravery and quick-thinking of his older siblings.
I told that little girl, you did exactly what you needed to do. Scream your head off. said one of the witnesses, Dorothy Giddens. That was what saved that baby. It was her screaming and us running.
Kathleen Baty, personal safety expert, told Inside Edition Delicia did exactly the right thing in the case of emergencymake a racket to attract attention. Baty said making noise can be the difference between life and death.
Aftermath of the attempted kidnapping
Deputies in the area began the search for the abductor soon after the incident. Within three days, they found him and made the arrest. They were surprised to find that the menacing figure was only 15 years old.
After being held in a juvenile detention facility, the unnamed minor soon plead guilty to a second-degree charge of kidnapping.
What all parents should keep in mind
Batys advised all parents to teach their children the best responses if they find themselves in a similar situation. Instilling your kids that when they are out in the public, that if an adult comes up to them, they need to have that gut reaction and go the other way, and yell and scream as loud as they can.
Michael Wright, the childrens father, said, I wouldnt want this to happen to anyone else.
If a similar situation does happen to anyone else, hopefully parents will teach their children to react as the Wright children didwith bravery, fast legs and a lot of noise.