Boy, 10, Escapes From Stranger Trying To Lure Him Away By Asking Shop Clerk To Act Like His Mom

Nov 23, 2022 by apost team

A 10-year-old boy is being lauded by police and his community for his quick thinking that kept an already distressing situation from getting any worse.

Fourth grader Sammy Green was walking home in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, in November 2022 when he realized a woman had begun following him. She then started to talk to him, asking him questions about where he was going. Sammy told Fox 29 that not only did she ask where his family was, "she was like, 'I'm going to Wawa, do you want to come with me? Are you going to Wawa? What are you getting?'" Unsure of what to do, the young boy began to feel fearful. "I was, like, shaking at first," he told the outlet.

As he continued walking down the street with the strange woman by his side, he spied a shop he and his family regularly frequented and decided to duck in for help. He went in and headed straight for the cashier, where a store clerk was seated. The woman remained outside but kept the front door open. Sammy then told the clerk to act like his mom so that the woman would leave him alone.

"He came in, and he was really panicked," the 17-year-old clerk, Hannah Daniels, told Fox 29. "He whispers, 'This lady's been following me on my way home from school. Can you help me? Pretend you're my mom. Pretend you're my mom.'" 

Daniels immediately got up and put herself between the young boy and the woman before pulling the front door closed and locking it. The chilling ordeal was captured on the store's security camera and, upon watching it later, stirred upsetting emotions in Sammy's father.

Sammy's dad, Samuel Green, said he choked up watching the clip of his son terrified for his safety. "I was fine until I saw the video," Samuel told Fox 29. "Then, when I see my son walk over to Hannah and whisper to her, I broke down. That's when everything hit. It was really, really, really scary." He added, "To see my child looking for help because he was afraid basically for his life," he told the outlet, "that cuts you deep."

Samuel said while the incident shocked him, he was happy his son was able to stay calm and ask for help. "He did what he was supposed to do because he didn't know the person," Samuel told 6 ABC, adding, "he handled it so well, and I'm so proud of him." 

Daniels said she was also glad Sammy had the wherewithal to ask for help when he needed it. "He was so thankful," she said. He was like, 'Thank you so much.' And I was like, 'I'm so glad you were smart enough to come here and come somewhere that you felt safe.'"

Meanwhile, police have tracked down the woman, said to be a local homeless woman frequently seen in the area, and have referred her for mental health treatment.

Samuel said the experience has made him more attentive to "stranger danger" and urged other parents to do the same. "Think of every scenario and make sure that children know and also practice it. Practice your situations and scenarios just like fire drills," he said.

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What do you think of Sammy's quick-thinking actions? Do you think "stranger danger" should be more widely taught? Let us know your thoughts on the issue, and pass this on to others who might find it helpful too.