A kidnapped woman whose hands and face were bound in duct tape made an incredible save Saturday when she stopped a moving car from rolling into a Taco Bell in North Lauderdale, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Judith Moncion told police she was leaving a beauty supply store shortly after 10:30 p.m. when a man opened her driver's-seat door, pointed a gun, and told her to be quiet. As soon as she screamed, she said, the suspect wrapped duct tape around her head, over her nose and mouth and around her hands.
The man threw Moncion in the backseat, got into the driver's seat, and drove away while a witness who saw the incident called 911, according to the BSO.
"Thank goodness for this witness," BSO spokesperson Dani Moschella said. "This is a very astute and quick person who saw what was going on, kept an eye on this vehicle and dialed 911."
A BSO deputy spotted the car and the woman duct-taped in the back seat within a few minutes of getting the call. As he tried to stop the car, the suspect got out, ran, jumped over a wall and fled into the nearby Player's Place Community.
"The suspect jumped out while the car was still moving," Moschella said.
As soon as the suspect abandoned the moving car, Moschella said, Moncion managed to climb into the front seat and hit the brakes just in time to stop it from crashing into a Taco Bell.
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"We don't know what the suspect had planned, but this was certainly a tragedy avoided thanks to the witness and to the deputy," said Moschella.
BSO detectives have released a sketch of the suspect believed to be about 5' 5 and of slim build. Anyone with any information about this incident is urged to call Crime Stoppers of Broward County at (954) 493-TIPS.
