11-YEAR-OLD PENSACOLA GIRL FOUGHT OFF A KNIFE-WIELDING KIDNAPPER—THEN HELPED POLICE CATCH HIM

By Palm Beach and Broward Mugshots

PENSACOLA, Fla. — An 11-year-old Pensacola girl was waiting for her school bus when a man drove up, ran toward her with a knife and attempted to drag her into his vehicle.

Surveillance video captured what happened next: the girl fought back with everything she had.

She kicked, punched and struggled until her attacker fell and lost his grip. The girl broke free, grabbed her backpack and ran to safety.

The disturbing attack happened shortly before 7 a.m. on May 18, 2021, near Old Corry Field Road and Perdido Street in West Pensacola.

THE ATTACK WAS CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Video released by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office showed a white Dodge Journey circling the area before stopping near the bus stop.

The driver, later identified as Jared Paul Stanga, exited the vehicle and charged toward the girl. Authorities said he grabbed her around the neck while armed with a knife and attempted to pull her back toward the SUV.

The girl refused to give up.

As she struggled, Stanga fell to the ground. She escaped his grip and ran in one direction while he returned to his vehicle and fled in the other.

Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons later praised her determination, saying she fought repeatedly and “never gave up.” ABC News

SHE LEFT EVIDENCE ON HER ATTACKER

The girl had been playing with blue slime while waiting for the bus. During the attack, she intentionally transferred some of it onto Stanga.

Her mother later explained that Alyssa remembered lessons about leaving evidence from watching Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She believed the slime might help police identify her attacker if he successfully abducted her.

That quick thinking proved important.

When deputies located Stanga later that day, investigators reportedly found blue slime still smeared on his arm—the same color as the material the girl had been holding during the attack. WEAR-TV report

INVESTIGATORS FOLLOWED THE SUV

Approximately 50 deputies joined the search.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage that showed the Dodge Journey traveling away from the scene and stopping at a convenience store. Cameras captured its license plate, and Stanga reportedly entered his telephone number into the store’s rewards system while making a purchase.

Deputies traced the vehicle to Stanga.

When investigators reached his residence, they found that the SUV’s chrome front bumper had been freshly painted black. According to reports, the paint was still visibly fresh and had a noticeable odor.

Clothing resembling what the attacker wore in the video was also reportedly found inside the vehicle.

AN EARLIER WARNING

The attack may not have been Stanga’s first encounter with the girl.

Several weeks earlier, she reported that a man in a white vehicle approached her at the same bus stop and made her uncomfortable. She moved to another bus stop where a friend was waiting and later told adults at her school about the encounter.

Her mother began accompanying her to the bus stop. The morning of the attempted abduction was reportedly the first day since the earlier encounter that her mother was not beside her.

SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS

Stanga was arrested roughly 10 hours after the attack and initially charged with attempted kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated assault and battery.

He subsequently entered a no-contest plea as part of an agreement that capped his potential prison sentence at 15 years. The girl’s mother reportedly supported the agreement so her daughter would not have to testify at trial.

On March 8, 2023, Stanga was sentenced to 15 years in state prison. NorthEscambia.com

The video showed a child facing an attacker much larger than she was. Her refusal to surrender—and her presence of mind to leave evidence behind—helped turn a terrifying attempted abduction into an escape, an arrest and ultimately a prison sentence.

All individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.