“It was literally my worst nightmare, and it keeps playing out in my head over and over again,” said Alecia Awejkoski, the aunt of a 7-year-old girl who narrowly escaped an abduction. In a terrifying incident, a man was arrested after allegedly attempting to force two girls into his car in separate incidents that occurred just an hour apart.
The ordeal began when the suspect, identified as 23-year-old Endi Bala, reportedly grabbed Awejkoski’s niece off her bike, carried her to his car, and threw her inside. In a desperate bid to save her, Awejkoski chased after the man and engaged in a struggle with him through the driver-side window as he tried to drive away.
Meanwhile, Good Samaritan Scott Van Luven witnessed the abduction and sprang into action. He quickly pulled his vehicle in front of Bala’s car, blocking any chance of escape. Van Leuven then physically hauled the suspect out of the car and held him until police arrived on the scene.
“He was just like an angel,” Awejkoski told Inside Edition, expressing her gratitude for Van Luven’s heroic intervention. Despite suffering injuries during the struggle, her primary focus was on rescuing her niece. “That’s all I could think about, was getting her out of that car,” she said.
Reflecting on the incident, Van Luven shared his relief that they were able to prevent the kidnapping. “I honestly don’t even want to know what could have happened. He could have gotten away very easily,” he told Inside Edition.
Bala, who has a long history of prior arrests, is also accused of attempting to abduct a 15-year-old girl just an hour before the incident with the 7-year-old. That earlier kidnapping attempt was also thwarted by another Good Samaritan.
Bala has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. The incident has left a lasting impact on those involved, but thanks to the quick thinking and bravery of Awejkoski and Van Leuven, the young girl was safely returned to her family.