Union City Police Search for Attempted Kidnapper
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It is a parent’s worst nightmare. Union City investigators are searching for a man who they say tried to kidnap a 2-year-old girl from a laundromat, and it was all caught on tape. Police are now calling for extra manpower and help from the public to find the man accused of attacking her, Sunday. Jessica Gilles’ screams might send shivers down your spine, but she says that is nothing compared to how she felt when her daughter was being ripped from her arms, while she was alone in a Union City laundromat. Gilles, adds, “A black man with a jacket over his head came running after her, like chasing her, and I picked her up. I was holding her, and he got up on us and was trying to pull her off.” Gilles says she had a death grip on her daughter, and kicked the man with everything she had. But it was her screaming that investigators say could have very well saved her daughter’s life because when the man heard them, they believe, he got nervous and left. Gilles, adds, “This is the door, I grabbed my daughter and ran out.” But only to find the suspect sitting in the driver’s seat of her truck, staring at her. Gilles says the man then grabbed her radar detector and ran down the street behind the lanudromat. Chris Cummings, a Union City investigator, says, “This is very troubling, obviously. It’s a major concern for the police department and the community as a whole.” So they beefed up patrols. Right now, they say, they do not know the man’s motives, but they believe he is local and picked the laundromat as a place to abduct the child because he knew not many people would be there at 10:30 p.m. Gilles, adds, “This is just a warning for everybody to look out. I got lucky, but somebody else might not be as lucky as I was.” The suspect is thought to be a black man in his late 30’s or early 40’s, slender build, large eyes, and was wearing jeans, a black coat, and white shoes. If you have any tips as to where this man could be, you are asked to call Union City Police at (731) 885-1515.
