A couple from Springfield, Massachusetts, are being hailed as heroes after they chased down a kidnapping suspect. Amanda Disley and Benny Correa were grabbing dinner when they recognized a car that was involved in the kidnapping of an 11-year-old girl.
Disley told her boyfriend she remembered seeing a video on Facebook earlier in the day that showed the girl getting forced into the backseat.
"I said, 'Yo, babe. That's that car. That's that car! I seen that car, you showed me that car, that's the car,'" she told Western Mass News.
Correa didn't hesitate and started to follow the blue Honda Civic. They called 911 and started to record as the suspect began to flee.
"When he noticed that we were really chasing him all the way down the side streets, he just started blowing through every single red light, and my husband blew through every single red light with him," Disley explained.
As they continued to chase after the suspect, they reached a speed of more than 100 MPH. Eventually, they ran out of gas and were forced to let the police take over. Luckily, they managed to record the license plate and officers tracked down the suspect and took him into custody on the highway.
The suspect was identified as 24-year-old Miguel Rodriguez. He is facing multiple charges, including kidnapping, and is undergoing a mental health evaluation.
The young girl was unharmed and was reunited with her grateful parents.
"This was a good ending attributable to solid teamwork and cooperation from the public," said Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood. "I'm so happy Charlotte is back home with her family, and we found her as quickly as we did, and I want to thank everyone involved."
Authorities praised the couple for helping that track down the suspect but advised others against chasing down potentially dangerous suspects.
"We don't recommend that," Springfield Police's public information officer Ryan Walsh told Boston Magazine in an interview, adding that it "is extremely dangerous, even for police officers."