A Phoenix moving crew used their trucks to trap an alleged child abductor in a gas station parking lot after recognizing a toddler from an Amber Alert.
Kevin Place, a Camelback Moving Inc. worker, stepped inside the QuikTrip to grab water when he caught the security guard on a phone call, he told KTAR’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos. The security guard recognized alleged 23-year-old abductor Marina Noriega and 2-year-old Kehlani Rogers, AZ Family reported.
“I hear the security guard talking on the phone. I’m assuming he’s speaking to police. He says, ‘I think I see the little girl,'” Place said. Coworker Ralph Vollmert told the station Place rushed to their truck and pointed out the child in a nearby vehicle.
The crew decided on the spot to position their rigs around the suspect’s pickup. Place reportedly wrote down the vehicle’s license plate and turned it over to the security guard before returning to his truck and activating the camera. Vollmert told KTAR that the suspect never attempted to drive off, and squad cars flooded the lot moments later. (RELATED: ‘A Blessing From God’: Police Use Every Trick In Book To Find Missing 3-Year-Old. Local Dog Receives Heroes Honor)
Camelback Moving President Chad Olsen told AZ Family he was struck by the dashcam footage showing his team identify the situation and coordinate in real time.
“We’re a moving company, so we’re not professional heroes by any means. But to listen to the dashcam and watch the dashcam footage of the crew kind of identifying the situation and who this was, and putting the plan together that we’re going to block this truck in with our truck and not allow them to leave. I couldn’t be more proud,” Olsen said.
QuikTrip spokesperson Aisha Jefferson credited the guard’s quick recognition for setting the rescue in motion, AZ Family reported.
The Amber Alert went out Feb. 21 after Rogers vanished from her Avondale residence, according to FOX 10. The girl’s parents said they allowed Noriega to stay overnight because she was homeless. The child was frightened but physically unharmed when officers reunited her with her parents, according to police.
Noriega admitted to using methamphetamine while she had the toddler, prosecutors told the court on Feb. 23 hearing. The two slept on the street, court documents said. She faces a felony custodial interference charge with bond set at $250,000, according to KTAR.
