To save a child

10/9/2010

IN A split second last week, a California father of two children allowed instinct to propel him into an uncommon act of bravery.

Victor Perez, an unemployed construction worker in Fresno, was talking with a neighbor when he spotted a pickup truck that had been described in news reports about the abduction of a neighborhood child.

The evening before, the 8-year-old girl, playing in front of her apartment, was snatched by a stranger. Authorities issued an Amber Alert that generated TV coverage Mr. Perez watched.

When he saw the truck, Mr. Perez jumped in his pickup and raced after the suspect, catching glimpses of the little girl's head over the dashboard. He forced the vehicle off the road; the suspect pushed the child out the passenger door and fled before police finally caught him. Authorities said the girl had been sexually assaulted and was distraught.

Police say most kidnapping victims are killed within the first 24 hours. The Fresno police chief said the girl beat the odds because of Mr. Perez. He called her rescue “truly a miracle of God” — thanks to a Good Samaritan who got involved.