It's every parent's worst nightmare caught on video, but this time the story has a happy ending.

11-year-old Alyssa Bonal of Florida was sitting at a bus stop Tuesday morning, May 18 when a man jumped out of a white SUV and violently grabbed her, trying to drag her back to his vehicle.

The Escambia County Sheriff's Office released footage of the attempted kidnapping captured by a neighbor's security camera, and it's absolutely terrifying.

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Alyssa is seen sitting alone, minding her own business, when the man comes at her. It all happens so quickly, and the Associated Press reports that the man grabbed Alyssa by the throat and threatened her with a knife.

Alyssa kept her cool and was able to fend off her attacker, who jumped back into his vehicle and sped off like the lowlife coward he is.

You'll be pleased to read that the suspect - 30-year-old Jared Paul Stanga - was arrested later that day. He's been charged with attempted kidnapping of a child under 13, aggravated assault and battery.

Jared Paul Stanga - Escambia County Sheriff's Office
Jared Paul Stanga - Escambia County Sheriff's Office
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Now, having fought off this scumbag would have been enough to make Alyssa a total badass, but get this - she did something clever to make sure police could connect the man with the attack once they had him in custody.

Alyssa told the Today Show that she'd been playing with a mixture of blue paint and homemade slime before the man came at her. She and her mother are huge fans of Law & Order: SVU, and Alyssa knew from the show that somehow marking her attacker would make it easier for police to ID him.

So, before her would-be-kidnapper drove off, Alyssa smeared some of the slime on him.

The slimy slimebag marked with slime? It's almost poetic.

The story only gets better, though.

Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay heard about Alyssa's escape and praised her on social media. Then she surprised the girl by video calling into the Today Show to congratulate her.



 


I don't even want to think about where Alyssa would be and how drastically different her life would be right now if she hadn't fought back the way she did, and it's absolutely fantastic that, even in such a scary situation, she had the presence of mind to leave a clue for police.

Who says TV just rots a kid's brain?

Way to go, Alyssa!

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