Stranger Notices Child in Car with ‘Help Me’ Note after Old Man with ‘Scared’ Eyes Alights from It

• A stranger in California passed by a car and noticed a girl inside the vehicle who was holding up a "Help Me" sign against the window.
• Moments before this encounter, an elderly man had exited the same car, and a woman who saw what was happening remarked on something being wrong with his eyes.

A day that was supposed to be a typical working one for laundromat employee Touch Vong ended up being the day she helped save a 13-year-old girl who had been kidnapped days prior. On the morning of July 9, a gray Nissan Sentra pulled into the parking lot of a Long Beach laundromat called Easy Wash.

An elderly man got out of the car and proceeded to enter the establishment. He walked in with a young girl who Vong recalled looked fearful, and that's when she knew something was amiss.

The Laundromat Employee Sensed Something Was off When She Saw the Young Girl with the Shifty Elderly Man

Upon entering the laundromat, the man, who has been identified as 61-year-old Steven Robert Sablan, approached Vong and asked where he could get some food.

Prompted by her gut feeling that something was wrong and seeing fear on the girl's face, Vong, who said she felt compelled to respond in a different way than how she usually does when asked this question, said:

"They have restaurants here by the laundry, but they never open on Sunday, but I don't know why my mouth opened and told him, 'Oh, maybe they open [at 11], you can wait here.'"

After the brief encounter, Vong watched the man exit the laundromat, leaving the girl inside the car, before going off somewhere alone. The laundromat employee recalled:

"Something [was] wrong with his eyes... scared when he looked at me."

Passersby and Vong then noticed the girl inside the vehicle, holding up a small note with the words "Help Me" displayed on it against one of the car's windows. One of them who saw the sign proceeded to call the police immediately.

Officers arrived on the scene and located the girl in trouble, who they also say mouthed the word "help" to them while they were freeing her. Vong, who was interviewed after the girl was saved, reiterated her gratitude to God for having communicated with her to stop the man and keep him in the area long enough for responding officers to rescue the young girl.

Sablan was found and apprehended by Long Beach police officers. Evidence that was found in the car included the note fashioned by the girl, a pair of handcuffs, and a black BB gun.

The story highlights ordinary civilians' power and capabilities in situations that could mean the difference between life and death.

Prosecutors assigned to the case stipulated that the young girl had been reported as a runaway from San Antonio when she initially went missing after being kidnapped. The backstory reveals that she had been held at gunpoint and forced into Sablan's car while walking along one of the streets in San Antonio, located near a bus stop.

In one of her attempts to get away from the assailant, the girl had told Sablan that she had a friend in Australia who she had been meaning to see. Lying to her, he said he would take her to a cruise ship where she could make the voyage, but she had to do something for him first.

With every intention of isolating the young girl, Sablan had planned to drive them somewhere else in California before he ended up being caught in Long Beach.

The Criminal Who Kidnapped the Girl Is Now Facing Legal Repercussions for His Actions

Thanks to the alertness, vigilance, and good-natured will of samaritans, the teenager's life was saved. According to authorities, she was taken into custody by the Department of Children and Family Services after the ordeal. A statement released by Chief Officer Wally Hebeish stated:

"This incident highlights the critical role community members play in keeping people safe."

On Thursday, Sablan was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of kidnapping and the unlawful transportation of a minor with intent to conduct illegal sexual activity. Should he be convicted on both counts, Sablan could face a maximum life sentence in federal prison.

The story highlights ordinary civilians' power and capabilities in situations that could mean the difference between life and death. It shows the importance of one choosing not to look the other way when they see something wrong.

Click here to read a similar story in which a boy was kidnapped but thankfully found alive and reunited with his mom after 21 years.