A 16-year-old girl named Karol Sanchez was reportedly kidnapped late Monday night (Dec. 16) while walking down the street in the Bronx with her mother. Dimly lit footage from a surveillance camera shows the teen walking along Eagle Avenue when two men step out of a passing vehicle and dragged her into their car.
According to ABC News, the New York City Police Department are now on the lookout for four men they believe to be involved. An Amber Alert, which warned that Sanchez may be in “imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death,” was issued around New York City Tuesday morning (Dec. 17).
Sanchez’ mother is also caught in the footage as she struggles to grab her daughter and is pushed down by a man on the sidewalk. According to police, she was left at the crime scene and not injured.
According to The New York Times, the kidnapping occurred at 11:20 p.m. EST on Monday (Dec. 16), near the Melrose section of the Bronx. Police say the suspects are in their 20s and were wearing dark clothes. Authorities have described the vehicle as a beige-colored four-door sedan. Sanchez was last seen wearing a blue winter jacket and jeans.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea and many other local and national police departments have used Twitter to circulate Sanchez’ photo in the hopes of finding witnesses or any other information. The New York Police Department is offering a $2,500 reward for information about the kidnapping.
Tips or any other information should be issued to the NYPD’s Crime Stopper Hotline.
Last year, New York Daily news reported that the Bronx has the city’s second highest crime rates, while hosting the least amount—15 percent—of the city’s surveillance cameras, second only to Staten Island. Although the crime rate is significantly higher, other areas of the city, like Manhattan, possess many more cameras.
“The budget tends to skewer towards Manhattan,” New York City Council Member Ritchie Torres told the outlet. “The outer boroughs generally — but obviously the Bronx — tend to get the short end of the stick.”