Two brave teens are being celebrated as local heroes after they daringly rescued a five-year-old girl from a kidnapper in their neighborhood.
It was July 11, 2013, a seemingly typical summer day for 15-year-old Temar Boggs from Lancaster, Pa. Temar had just helped a neighbor with a couch and was looking forward to hanging out with his pals, skateboarding and biking.
The atmosphere quickly shifted from casual to urgent when Temar and his buddy Chris Garcia were alerted to the abduction of little Jocelyn Rojas right in their own neighborhood.
Without hesitation, the two friends gathered a group and began a search to locate Jocelyn, who had been lured into a car by a man promising ice cream.
About 30 to 45 minutes into their search, Temar noticed a vehicle acting suspiciously.
He explained his suspicions to MSNBC: “He was just turning around, like he was turning around down–I wouldn’t say streets, cause they were like little cul-de-sacs, but then they would branch off to another street. So he was turning down those.”
As they tailed the odd car, they spotted Jocelyn inside and continued the chase.
After about 15 minutes, the driver seemed to realize he was being followed and let Jocelyn out of the car..
Temar recounted the pivotal moment: “We looked in the passenger seat: the little girl was in the car. We chased it for about ten to fifteen minutes and I guess he got scared and let her out in the corner.”
Once freed, Jocelyn ran towards the boys, frantically asking for her mom. Temar and Chris didn’t waste a moment and escorted her back home.
Temar shared more about the rescue: “I picked her up—well, no, I didn’t pick her up, she ran to me and said she needed her mommy, and I rode her back home. Well, halfway, cause the way I had her was dangerous so then I carried her back halfway home.”
Eventually, they handed Jocelyn over to a firefighter who was able to reunite her with her family safely.
Temar reflected on their heroic deed, emphasizing their genuine intention: “It was just out of heart. It wasn’t to get attention or anything. It was just to help somebody in the community, help make sure another little life was okay and make sure her future could be possible.”