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A Philly teenager was abducted and held hostage in a bizarre plot that included ransom demands, shoestrings and a father trying to chase down the captors himself on one of the city’s busiest highways.
Police tonight are still trying to piece together the details of the story, but here’s what they know so far.
The teen, a 15-year-old high school freshman, was grabbed by two gunmen wearing purple latex gloves and masks while he was walking home from school in Northeast Philadelphia on Ferndale Street.
Police say the men shoved the teen in their silver Subaru station wagon, where a third man was behind the wheel, and taped his eyes.
The kidnappers called the victim's parents, demanding anything they had of value.
"They said, just give us everything -- don't lie," said the boy's father, Christian Garnica. "I guess my son told them what we have."
They drove to the family’s Bustleton home and knocked on the door, guns drawn. They tied up the parents with shoestrings and collected their ransom, which included jewelry, $30,000 in cash and the home’s surveillance video system.
The gunmen then took off with the teen.
His dad, who was able to work his way out of the shoestrings, jumped in his car and chased the abductors but lost them on the Roosevelt Boulevard, where he then flagged down a police officer.
"...I grabbed my keys and I left, I followed them," said Garnica.
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Meanwhile, the teenager was somehow able to free himself about fifteen miles away near the Philadelphia Art Museum.
The teen was not hurt. He has been reunited with his family.
The three suspects are still on the loose.
Police believe the family, who own a business, were targeted.
"They were prepared, the knew what they were here to do," Philadelphia Police Lt. John Stanford told NBC10.
Anyone with information is urged to call Philadelphia Police.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
