MORENO VALLEY: Jogger escapes would-be kidnapper

MORENO VALLEY – Riverside County sheriff’s officials are seeking the public’s help in identifying a vehicle involved in an attempted kidnapping that occurred near the intersection of Hidden Springs Drive and Mountain View Road in the City of Moreno Valley Thursday, October 13. The area where the attempted kidnapping happened is in the Hidden Springs area in the northwestern area of the city.

A woman jogging in the area at about 7:15 p.m. was able to fight off her would-be kidnapper after he grabbed her and attempted to drag her to his waiting truck. Despite his efforts, the victim successfully fought back and escape from the man. She then immediately reported the incident to officials, according to Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Mike Koehler.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Police Station immediately responded to the attempted kidnapping report to conduct an investigation into the incident.

The deputies’ investigation revealed the 25-year-old female victim was jogging in the area “when she noticed she was being followed by a Hispanic male adult, driving a mid-1990’s Ford F-150 regular cab truck,” Koehler explained in a press release about the incident.

A short time later the victim saw the truck parked near an intersection she was jogging towards. As she passed by the vehicle, the driver of the truck jumped out from behind some nearby bushes and confronted the victim. The suspect, who has not yet been identified, grabbed and carried the victim towards his waiting truck.

The victim fought back against the suspect, refusing to be taken without a struggle. As the suspect attempted to carry the victim toward his vehicle, she was able to escape and call 911.

The suspect immediately fled the area in his vehicle, which was described as a two-tone, green over tan, mid-1990’s Ford F-150 regular cab pickup truck.

Sheriff’s officials have described the suspect as a Hispanic male adult, about 38-45 years old, 5’ 2” tall, 140 pounds, with short dark-colored hair and “facial stubble,” wearing a blue shirt and black pants.

Surveillance footage obtained from the Moreno Valley City-Wide Camera System showed the suspect vehicle. The truck had a large object or piece of furniture strapped down in the bed.

Anyone who has any information regarding this incident, or recognizes the individual or vehicle depicted in the photos, is urged to immediately contact Investigator Jess Vasquez or the Moreno Valley Police Department Watch Commander at (951) 486-6700 or after hours reporting at (951) 776-1099. Callers can refer to incident file number MV162870411 and can remain anonymous. Anonymous tips may also be submitted by visiting CrimeTips online.

 

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.