Update 3:05 p.m: Karol Sanchez has been found safe, according to police.
By Kevin Deutsch
[email protected]
A 16-year-old girl was snatched off a Bronx street by kidnappers Monday night as she walked beside her mother, setting off a massive search across New York City, authorities said.
A nearby security camera captured the harrowing abduction, perpetrated by two unknown men who jumped out of a beige, four-door sedan and grabbed Karol Sanchez as she strolled with her 36-year-old mother about 11:20 p.m.
“Two unknown males exited the vehicle, grabbed the 16-year-old female, and dragged her inside the vehicle while pushing the victim’s mother to the ground,” the NYPD said in a written statement.
“The vehicle, also occupied by two additional unknown males, then fled east bound,” the statement said. “The mother, left at the scene, was not injured and refused medical attention.”
Police said New Yorkers should report any information they have about the victim’s whereabouts, or that of her abductors. Tipsters are asked to call 911.
Mayor Bill de Blasio also urged the public to help, Tweeting, “To Karol Sanchez’s family and loved ones, know that the NYPD will not rest until she’s found — and her kidnappers are brought to justice.”