"It was kind of like a superwoman power thing," Sandra Ferguson said.
Sandra Ferguson is credited with saving an 11-year-old girl from an alleged kidnapper, thanks to her sharp observational skills and quick thinking, ABC 7 reports.
Friday at was a lot like most days for Ferguson, a teacher's aide at Sutter Elementary School in Antioch, California. She was driving to work at the school when she suddenly spotted something that shook her to her core.
She told ABC 7 she saw an 11-year-old girl who she recognized as a student at Sutter. The girl was sitting in a car with a man Ferguson didn't know or recognize as a family member of the student. She immediately knew something was wrong. The little girl looked scared. Ferguson acted quickly, blocking the path of the man's car with her vehicle and confronting him. She told the little girl to get out of the car.
"I said, 'Sweetheart, is that your dad?' She said, 'No he's a friend.' I said, 'No, he's not your friend!'" Ferguson said. "I put my car in front of his and blocked him in. I told her, 'You get out of that truck right now!'"
Ferguson dialed 911 while the alleged kidnapper's car was still blocked by hers. When police arrived, they quickly realized Ferguson's instincts were on point.
According to police, 51-year-old Santiago Salazar, a stranger to the young girl, followed her on Friday morning as she walked to school. He allegedly pulled up next to her, opened the passenger door, and pulled her inside the car. Had Ferguson not spotted the girl in time, there's no telling what could have happened to her.
School officials commended Ferguson's bravery after the incident.
"She was a guardian angel, preventing something terrible from happening," Sutter Principal Debra Harrington said. As Ferguson, she can't quite believe what she did that Friday morning.
"It was kind of like a superwoman power thing. I can't believe it did that!" she said.