Child Escapes Kidnapping Attempt by Asking to Use Bathroom: Police

A young girl was able to escape an alleged kidnapping attempt last week by pretending she needed to use the bathroom, according to a New Jersey prosecutor.

The incident took place on May 30 in the Jersey Shore city of Asbury Park. Around 5:30 p.m. ET, 29-year-old Raquan M. Folk allegedly approached an 11-year-old girl and somehow "convinced" her to get into his white Kia, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago explained in an official release provided to Newsweek on Tuesday. From there, Folk reportedly drove two miles inland and stopped at an unspecified location in Neptune Township, at which point he asked the girl to "disrobe."

In response, the girl asked the man if she could use the bathroom, prompting him to take her to a nearby service station. Getting out of the vehicle under the pretense of using the bathroom, the 11-year-old was able to flee on foot and later "flagged down a passerby."

Folk was arrested in connection with the incident on Thursday. He now faces charges of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree luring a child, and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child via sexual conduct. The official release stated that he "was taken into custody without incident." Given that the victim was under the age of 16, the kidnapping charge alone in New Jersey could result in a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Folk is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, with a detention hearing set to take place on Monday in the Monmouth County Superior Court before Judge Marc C. Lemieux. State prosecutors handling the case are "filing a motion to keep him detained as the criminal case against him proceeds." The case is currently being overseen by Assistant Prosecutor Keri-Leigh Schaefer.

Folk is being represented by New Jersey public defender Katherine M. Caola. Newsweek reached out to the Office of the Public Defender via email for comment.

Members of the public with information pertaining to Folk's activities or the case, in general, are urged to reach out to Detective Kayla Santiago with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office (MCPO) at 800-533-7443.

In May, a 13-year-old Michigan boy was also able to stop a kidnapping attempt by using a unique weapon. The boy, watching from his bedroom window, saw a stranger emerge from the woods into his family's backyard and grab his 8-year-old sister, who had been searching the yard for mushrooms.

Noticing this alarming situation, he began firing on the stranger with a slingshot, hitting him in the head and chest. The shots allowed the younger sister to break free from his grasp. The older brother was able to hit the man again in the chest, at which point he fled the scene.

Updated 06/06/2023, 5:35 p.m. ET: Added additional information provided by Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

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