A 10-year-old boy escaped from a woman who he says was following him home from school using some quick thinking and going into a nearby store and asking the cashier to pretend to be his mother.
Sammy Green - from Pottstown, Pennsylvania - was on his way home from school when a woman began walking alongside him, Action News reports.
She offered the fourth-grader some food and began making him feel very uncomfortable. This is when Sammy knew he had to act, per CBS News.
Sammy recalled what the woman was saying to him: "She was like, 'I'm going to Wawa, are you going there? What are you getting from Wawa? Where's your family at?'"
Watch the alarming surveillance footage below:
The possible kidnapping attempt was captured by surveillance cameras and shows the 10-year-old heading into Dani Bee Funky - his favorite neighborhood store - in order to escape from the woman.
Sammy's father, Sam Green, told Action News that his son approached 17-year-old cashier Hannah Daniels and asked her: "To 'act like you're my mom, this lady is following me'."
The teenage cashier then put herself in between Sammy and the woman, who was still lurking around the doorway. Hannah bravely closed the door and locked it. This was when Sammy's pursuer left the scene.
Sammy's dad, referring to the surveillance footage, went on to say: "When we were watching that video, I cried every time I saw it."
Speaking to CBS News, he explained how the ordeal involving his son makes him feel: "To see my child looking for help because he was afraid basically for his life, that cuts you deep."
Sam urges every parent to use this incident as a lesson, and to teach children about the danger of strangers. "Think of every scenario and make sure that children know and also practice it. Practice your situations and scenarios just like fire drills," he said.
CBS also reports that Pottstown Police Department has since located the woman, and she is getting help for mental health issues.
The owner of Dani Bee Funky - Dani Small - commended the boy and also her employee for her quick thinking: "I am very proud of her. Hannah is a 17-year-old young lady. She did everything correctly," she told Action News.
Since the scare, a family friend walks home with Sammy to ensure nothing like this happens again.
