DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Garden City teenager has safely returned home to family after allegedly being kidnapped and taken to Detroit by a man who befriended the minor on social media.
Police in Detroit say they responded to a possible kidnapping of a 13-year-old on Penrod Street near Whitlock Avenue on Monday.
The suspect befriended the teen on social media, which led to them meeting in person, police said. They say the suspect picked the teen up and they went to Penrod Street in Detroit.
When they got there, the teen made contact with a family member who notified the Detroit Police Department.
"There were cops here, cops had the streets blocked off, cops down there. All the neighbors were out, there was a woman out here crying, that her daughter had been taken. It was pretty chaotic, it was surreal," said Thomas Szot, who lives a few houses away.
When officers arrived, they made contact with the suspect, who reportedly took off into a back room and shot himself. The suspect, who police said is in his 40s, was taken to the hospital and listed critical condition.
We spoke to other neighbors, including Clarence Perre, and they shared concerns.
"We have to be more cautious and be more involved in our kids lives, especially when it comes to social media, instead for waiting for something like this to happen," said Perre.
In addition to being a mom of three daughters, Stephaine Preston is also a professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan.
We asked her about conversations parents and kids should be having when it comes to online safety.
"I think a lot of times, people avoid talking about things that are uncomfortable, difficult or involve sexual themes, but you kind of just have to get into it. You really have to talk openly about this stuff, you have to know who they are communicating with on a regular basis. Because only then are they really going to let you in on something going on in their life," said Preston.
