Hear from the devastated mother of a 13-year-old girl who was lured across Pennsylvania by a Philadelphia man, authorities say.
A man from Philadelphia was arrested and charged with kidnapping and sexual assault after allegedly paying for an Uber to take a girl from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, to Philadelphia.
According to the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office, 19-year-old Angel Lopez, of Philadelphia, connected with a 13-year-old through the social media app TikTok where they exchanged several messages including graphic videos.
After talking for just four days through the app, Lopez told the girl to leave a note for her family that told them she ran away and to not look for her, the District Attorney's Office said.
Lopez set up an Uber to pick the girl up from Greensburg and bring her to his apartment on Ogontz Street in the city of Philadelphia, officials said.
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Once the girl got to his apartment, she was instructed to turn off her cellphone, was given drugs and was sexually assaulted by Lopez, officials alleged. After the assault, the girl was told to shower in order to wash Lopez's DNA off of her.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.
The girl was reported missing on March 14 to police in Greensburg who pinged her phone to an address near Lopez's apartment, officials explained.
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According to police, the girl heard someone outside of Lopez's apartment in the hallway and saw it as her chance of escape. She was located by the Philadelphia Police Department shortly after.
A search warrant was issued for Lopez's apartment and he was arrested on March 27, police said.
Lopez was charged with kidnapping a minor, trafficking, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16 and other related charges.
The 13-year-old victim made it home safely after the ordeal.
The girl's devastated mother -- who is not being identified -- had a message for Lopez:
"I hate him so bad, he took the innocence of my daughter," she said. "These girls -- they're young -- they're going through changes... so to be groomed and to be lured, it's very easy to get their attentions."
“As parents, we need to be vigilant and monitor who our children are talking to and what apps are downloaded on their devices. I applaud the local and state agencies involved who acted swiftly to bring this victim safely home and are pursuing justice to hold Mr. Lopez accountable," District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said.
