Joseph Leroy Ruiz: Man arrested after 11-year-old girl escapes attempted kidnapping on her way to school

DENVER, COLORADO: An 11-year-old girl was fortunate enough as she narrowly escaped from getting abducted by a suspected kidnapper while she was on her way to school in Arizona, a harrowing home surveillance footage showed. 

The distressing incident took place on January 26 at around 8 am when the girl was going to Sunset Elementary School in Glendale and the suspect, identified as Joseph Leroy Ruiz, pulled his vehicle next to the sidewalk and started his chase, reports Arizona's family​. 

When did the girl first notice Joseph Leroy Ruiz?

In a press briefing on Monday, January 29, the fifth grader first noticed a “suspicious” man wearing a black jacket with a hood pulled over his head and blue sweatpants lurking at the bottom of the staircase of her apartment building as she left for school. 

She said the man gave her an “odd look” as she passed him, scaring her enough that she rushed out of her apartment complex. According to the authorities, the victim began walking toward her school when a silver car stopped in front of her, and she noticed it was the same man she had just run away from. 

The girl screamed for help

The vigilant girl noticed immediately that Ruiz was trying to grab her and ran away while screaming “help” to friends she saw walking ahead of her. Police said the suspected kidnapper chased after her for a short distance before he was scared off and returned to his car to drive away.

Three students then huddled around the girl and escorted her to school, neighbors told the outlet. 

What did the police say?

“As a father myself, as a parent, it’s very frightening that on her normal walk to school, she was targeted,” said Glendale police officer Moroni Mendez told the outlet, adding “Someone tried to take her away from her loving family.”

Officers later said they noticed a silver four-door Chevrolet sedan and a man matching the suspect’s description still lingering around the area. The 37-year-old perpetrator was taken into custody later that day on charges of attempted kidnapping and custodial interference.

Upon interviewing him at the station, and informing him of his charges, Ruiz did not argue or deny that he had tried to kidnap the girl and only wanted to know how long he’d be “locked up,” according to court documents obtained by the outlet. Police explained that Ruiz lived near the girl’s apartment complex but had no relation to her.

Joseph Leroy Ruiz had a violent criminal past

It was revealed Ruiz had a list of prior violent offenses, including attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault charges from 2013 after he stabbed his mother in the neck, police said. One neighbor in the area praised the 11-year-old’s ability to realize she was in danger, calling the encounter “very creepy.”

“This morning, I stood at the corner with my granddaughter and stroller just watching the kids, making sure they get to school safe,” the unidentified neighbor told Arizona’s Family. adding “I just want the best for these kids. They are young and shouldn’t have to be worried about who’s going to take them.”