Community
Woman reports attempted kidnapping in Caldwell Park
A woman says she escaped what she described as an attempted kidnapping in a Caldwell Park parking lot after a man grabbed at her jacket as she tried to get inside her van.
REDDING, Calif.
A woman says she escaped what she described as an attempted kidnapping in a Caldwell Park parking lot after a man grabbed at her jacket as she tried to get inside her van.
In an account shared on social media, she said she had finished making a police report and remained shaken by the encounter. Police confirmation and a report number were not provided with the account supplied to North State Now.
The woman said she pulled into the illuminated parking lot near the soccer fields after a break in the rain, hoping to get some fresh air. She parked beneath a light facing the exit and stayed close to her van rather than walking into the park.
While she was outside, she noticed a white vehicle she described as resembling a Subaru pull into a far corner of the lot. She said it stayed for a few minutes, left and returned about five minutes later, parking diagonally to her van.
A man began getting out of the vehicle and looking toward the road and around the area, she said. His behavior made her uneasy, and she began trying to unlock her van.
She said a second man approached from behind without her noticing, cleared his throat and reached toward her, catching the corner of her jacket while saying, “Hey!”
The woman said she managed to get inside and immediately lock the door. According to her account, the man moved close to her window and asked whether she had a lighter, then looked toward the other man, who was standing beside his open driver's door.
As she started the van, she said the man near her window began blocking her exit. She maneuvered another way out of the parking lot and reached safety.
The supplied account does not establish the men's intentions or confirm that police are investigating the encounter as an attempted kidnapping. An exact incident date and time were not included in the supplied text.