PASADENA, Texas – A terrifying attempted child abduction has left an entire community in fear.
Pasadena police are investigating after a 9-year-old girl was taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night and escaped her kidnapper.
Diana Fontenot, a neighbor said, "I don't let my kids out of my sight when I come outside because I feel it's not safe."
The girl was asleep in her apartment in the 700 block of S. Richey Street at around 2:30 a.m. Friday when police said a man entered through the front window and grabbed the child.
Neighbors spoke with the worried mother and couldn't believe what she said happened.
Damon Randle, another neighbor explained, "That someone came into her house through the front door window and walked out with her daughter."
The girl's grandmother told KPRC 2 that the man carried the girl away while she was kicking and screaming. Police said she grabbed onto a handrail of a stairwell and was able to escape.
Authorities said she managed to escape and ran back into her apartment as the suspect took off.
"For someone to come to the second floor to come into your house I feel like that's someone who's been paying attention to your house," Randle said.
While neighbors are thankful the little girl is now at home safe with her family, they still remain worried so long as the suspect is still out there.
"There's a person staying right here in this apartment, he told us he don’t let his little girl out because these older men just sit out and watch the little kids, so he keeps his little girl and he told me to start keeping my kids and that’s what I started doing," said Fontenot.
The man is described only as in his 20s, possibly with a mustache, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans at the time of the incident, with earrings in both ears.
Anyone with information regarding the identity of the accused kidnapper is asked to contact the Pasadena Police Department at 713-477-1221. Callers who wish to remain anonymous should contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Information provided by the caller to Crime Stoppers that leads to the arrest of the suspect is eligible for a cash reward up to $5,000.