A Philadelphia man is charged with kidnapping, and trafficking a Greensburg teenager across the state according to Westmoreland County Police.
Sgt. Justin Scalzo says 19-year-old Angel Lopez allegedly met the teen on TikTok and says he sent a number of text messages to lure the 13-year-old victim.
Police were notified of the missing girl on March 14. Greensburg Police were able to ping the phone to an address on Ogontz Street in Philadelphia.
Police say the victim was asked, upon arriving, to turn her phone off. She was also offered drugs and was sexually assaulted.
The victim was able to escape the apartment after she “heard someone outside in the hallway and believed it was her means of getting to safety.”
Philadelphia Police were able to locate the victim and brought her to safety.
“1,862 pages of text messages on one day, that he used to entice this child to get into an Uber, that he paid for, to sneak out of her residence at 12:30 in the morning, something this child probably never would’ve imagined doing,” Scalzo said during a news conference.
Scalzo adds that Lopez “brainwashed” he victim into taking a four-and-a-half-hour ride to Philadelphia.
Lopez is charged with kidnapping a minor, trafficking, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact of a minor, and criminal use of a communication facility.
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said, “First and foremost, I am so thankful this young girl is home safe, however let this be a lesson to each and every child and parent out there: if this can happen in Greensburg, this can happen anywhere.”