A brave 11-year-old girl who fought off a knife-wielding kidnapper has said her love of Law & Order: SVU inspired her to cover the man in blue slime so that police would be able to find him more easily. Alyssa Bonal was playing with the slime while waiting for her school bus in Pensacola, Florida on Tuesday, May 18 when she noticed 30-year-old Jared Paul Stanga running towards her at speed. While she thankfully escapes unharmed, her plan did help: when Escambia County officers caught up with him, his arms were covered in blue dye.
- The whole terrifying experience was caught on video. The Sheriff’s Office shared video of the incident on their Facebook page. The clip shows Stanga jumping out of a white van with a knife and grabbing Alyssa, putting her in a headlock as she struggled to break free. He repeatedly tried to pull her towards his fan but after both Alyssa and Stanga fell to the ground, she escaped and he fled the scene.
- Alyssa’s Law & Order: SVU knowledge came in handy. As Alyssa’s mother told the Pensacola News Journal, she and her daughter watch the popular detective drama together all the time and the girl used things she’d learned from the series to help cops track Stanga down. “Her first words were, ‘Somebody tried to kidnap me. He grabbed me by my throat and he had a knife.’ She said she was able to kick and she tripped him and freed herself,” her mother said. “She said, ‘Mom, I had to leave some sort of evidence behind like on Law & Order: SVU.’ We’ve watched probably every episode on Hulu. She’s a smart cookie, she thinks on her toes. She got that slime everywhere.”
- Even Mariska Hargitay herself was impressed. Olivia Benson is a hero to many girls and women around the world, but Mariska Hargitay, the actress who plays her, is just as inspired by the strong and brave women who look up to her. “Alyssa, first and most important, I am so relieved and grateful to know that you are safe. And I am so honored to be part of your incredible story,” Hargitay wrote on Instagram. “You are one BRAVE, Strong and Smart young woman. I think the SVU squad might have to add slime to their crimefighting gear! Take good care of yourself and each other. With all my love, your number one fan, Mariska.”
- Thankfully, Stanga was caught and will likely be put away for a very long time. He was charged with attempted kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated assault, and battery. After appearing in court, his bail was set at $1.5 million. According to Escambia Sheriff Chip Simmons, Stanga has a very long rap sheet including several child sex abuse charges. Hopefully, he’ll never be set free to do anything like this again.
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