GOOD SAMARITAN

Abducted 13-Year-Old Rescued After Using ‘Help Me!’ Sign to Alert Stranger

The girl’s alleged abductor has since been indicted on federal charges.

An abducted 13-year-old escaped her alleged captor earlier this month after her handwritten plea for help caught a stranger’s attention, and that stranger then tipped off authorities. The unnamed teenager was allegedly abducted at gunpoint in Texas by Steven Sablan, 61, who later drove her to California, according to a Department of Justice press release. On July 9, after Sablan allegedly parked his car at a laundromat in Long Beach with the abducted teenager inside, she tried to get the attention of passersby using a sign reading “Help me!” One stranger noticed the sign and summoned police to the scene. The girl has since been rescued, and Sablan faces federal charges including kidnapping and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, NBC News reported.