An 11-year-old girl who fought off her abductor says that she learned how to escape by watching “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU).”
The incident took place in West Pensacola, Florida, on Tuesday and was captured on video. The young girl named Alyssa was waiting at a school bus stop when 30-year-old Jared Paul Stanga exited his white vehicle and approached her holding a knife. The girl says she tried to run, but Stanga caught up with her. The video shows the two tumbling on the ground while Alyssa fights her attacker relentlessly. During their struggle, she smeared blue slime on the abductor. Alyssa had been playing with the homemade slime before the attack. This smart move helped authorities identify Stanga, who still had the slime on him when police located him.
“I was able to get the slime onto his upper arm and a little bit on his lower arm,” Alyssa explained to Today. “I knew that might be better evidence for if the cops do find him.” She added that she got the idea to mark Stanga with slime from an episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU),” which she frequently watches with her mother.
SVU actress Mariska Hargitay, who portrays Captain Olivia Benson on the series, praised Alyssa and said she was “honored” to know that the show helped Alyssa escape and identify her attacker.
“You are one BRAVE, strong and smart young woman,” Hargitay wrote in an Instagram post.
Stanga has been charged with the attempted kidnapping of a child under 13 and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery. He is being held on a $1.5-million bond.
