Postal Worker Notices 16-Year-Old Shaking Behind Bush And Ends Up Saving Her From Sex Trafficking

Jul 25, 2019 by apost team

Ivan Crisostomo was driving on his mail delivery route in the Sacramento area on June 8, 2018. To him, it felt like any other typical day. Little did he know that he would become a hero that day!

According to CBS Sacramento, Ivan noticed Crystal Allen, an escaped human trafficking victim, hiding behind a bush in a person's front lawn. He could hear her crying, and it struck him as highly unusual.

“I heard this crying when I came out of the vehicle, so I approached her and I asked her," he told the publication. "She was afraid, she didn’t want to talk,”

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Crisostomo was able to help Allen call her mother, Stacey. 

“Terror … She was frantic … I didn’t know what was going on," Stacey told CBS. "I couldn’t even talk to her she was so upset and that’s when I told her she had to reach out to someone for safety and she gave the phone to Ivan and he instantly kicked into gear and told me he’d save my daughter,”

Crystal recounted her story later to local news station Fox 40. She said, 

“I just cried all the time and prayed that I’d get to see my mom again.” One day she decided to make a break for it. She grabbed the trafficker's phone and sprang out of his car! Then she quickly called her mom's number.

It was at this point that Ivan found her crouched behind the bush. Stacy Ohman, Crystal's mom, credits Ivan with helping them locate the bewildered teen. Crystal handed Ivan the phone and he let them know where she was and what was going on.

 He stayed with her and tried to comfort her until police came to the scene. He reassured her that he would be there to keep her safe.

On August 2, 2018, Ivan and Crystal were reunited. She wanted to personally express her gratitude for helping to rescue her from her dire situation. Crystal considers Ivan a real example of a hero. You can see their meeting in this heartwarming video. Ivan humbly deflects any praise he receives for helping Crystal get to safety.

He believes he was doing his duty as a mailman and as a human being to be there for his neighbors. 

What is your reaction to learning about this mailman's heroic act? Let us know your thoughts! Pass this story along to raise awareness of the prevalence of human trafficking!

If you ever suspect that someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the human trafficking hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. You may be a victim's only hope of escape!