Police said that a group of students reacted quickly to stop a man kidnapping a child at a Maryland school bus stop on Monday.
At 7:20 AM, a child was waiting at the Towne Crest Drive bus stop when Jamaal Germany (30 years old) of Gaithersburg “allegedly grabbed the child, and pulled them towards an apartment building.” Montgomery County Police released a press release.
Police said that several students were standing near the bus stop and tried to intervene, but the victim was able break free.
All students were able board the school bus upon arrival.
Germany was identified by detectives and arrested for attempted kidnapping.
According to booking records, he was still in Montgomery County Correctional Facility on Tuesday morning. He did not have a lawyer at the time.
Police ask anyone with information that suggests they might have been a victim to Germany to get in touch with them.
A neighbor, who declined to identify himself, said that the kidnapping attempt was an apparent repeat of one previously.
The parent stated, “Apparently he was at a bus stop last week doing exactly the same thing.”
Montgomery County Public Schools stated that they have requested police presence at the bus stop, where the incident occurred.
Parents were notified by Redland Middle School and nearby Judith A. Resnik Elementary School as well as Col. Zadok Magruder high School about the incident via a letter. They also wrote that the victim was unharmed.
“There will be an increased security presence today and tomorrow by both MCPS & MCPD at the impacted stop. The letter stated that we are sharing this information to all three school communities, as the bus stop at which the incident occurred is used daily by students from these schools.”
The letter stated that “Knowing this may have been alarming to some of our students”, it offered social emotional support for all students who witnessed the incident.
