PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Police have captured a man suspected of abducting a 9-year-old girl in Providence.
Lindsay Lague, a spokesperson for the Providence Police Department, said the 34-year-old Cranston man was arrested Tuesday afternoon.
“This dangerous individual has been removed from the streets of our city due to the swift and vigilant work of our officers who worked tirelessly on this case,” Lague said in a statement.
She said charges against the man are pending at this time.
According to police, the incident took place in the area of Grover and Merino streets around 3 p.m. Monday, just after the girl got off the school bus.
Detectives released surveillance footage of the incident Tuesday afternoon. (Story continues below video.)
The video shows an SUV pulling in front of the girl and the driver getting out, picking the girl up and putting her in the back seat before driving off.
Police said the girl was taken for about an hour then dropped off near her home. Officials wouldn’t comment on whether she was harmed.
12 News Law Enforcement Analyst Steven O’Donnell described the video as “bone-chilling.”
“This is as serious as it gets,” he said. “The message is for parents to really pay attention to the kids getting off that bus.”
