Savvy 10-year-old boy escapes woman who was following him

A quick-thinking 10-year-old boy escaped a woman who was following him home from school on Friday by ducking into a local shop and asking the 17-year-old cashier to pretend to be his mother.  

Surveillance footage from the possible kidnapping attempt shows a woman walking alongside fourth grader Sammy Green as he made his way along the sidewalk, just moments before he hightailed it into Dani Bee Funky — his favorite neighborhood store in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

The stranger continued to lurk outside as Sammy headed to the counter and whispered something to the cashier, 17-year-old Hannah Daniels.

Sammy’s father, Sam Green, told WPVI that his son asked Daniels to ‘act like you’re my mom’ because ‘this lady is following me.’

The fourth grader was walking home from school when a stranger started following him. The woman offered to buy him food and claimed to know his family

Surveillance footage shows the woman walking beside him before he ducked into Dani Bee Funky, his favorite neighborhood store

The teenage cashier acted quickly and put herself between Sammy and the woman, who was still holding the door open. 

Daniels then calmly walked over, pulled the door closed, and locked it. That was when the woman finally left. 

Speaking about the terrifying incident, Sammy’s father said he was shaken to his core after seeing the footage of his son being followed. 

‘When we were watching that video, I cried every time I saw it,’ he said. 

The woman held the door open as he walked inside the shop, but she didn’t follow him in 

The stranger continued to lurk outside as he headed to the counter and whispered something to the cashier, 17-year-old Hannah Daniels

Sammy told CBS Philadelphia he was walking home from school via the local high street when the woman started following him and offering to buy him food.  

‘She was like, “I’m going to Wawa, are you going there? What are you getting from Wawa? Where’s your family at?”‘ he recalled.  

Sammy had never seen the woman before that day, but she claimed she knew his family and told him that he was supposed to come with her. 

When he saw the corner store near his house, he acted quickly and walked inside.

Speaking with CBS Philadelphia, cashier Daniels recalled how she told Sammy to wait in the back while she dealt with the woman, but he refused to leave her side

Sammy asked Daniels to pretend to be his mother because he was being followed

The teenage cashier acted quickly and put herself between Sammy and the woman, who was still holding the door open

Daniels then calmly walked over to the door, pulled it closed, and locked it, which prompted the stranger to finally walk away

Speaking with CBS Philadelphia, Daniels recalled how she told Sammy to wait in the back while she dealt with the woman, but he refused to leave her side. 

Sammy said he was ‘still shaking’ when he was in the store. 

‘To see my child looking for help because he was afraid basically for his life, that cuts you deep,’ Green told the local news station. 

The elementary school student credits his father with teaching him to be wary of strangers and always be aware of his surroundings. 

Sammy’s father, Sam Green, told WPVI that he ‘cried very time’ he watched the security video

Sammy credits his father with teaching him to be wary of strangers and always be aware of his surroundings

It was reported that the Pottstown Police Department located the woman over the weekend, and she has been referred for mental health help

‘Think of every scenario and make sure that children know and also practice it,’ Green said. ‘Practice your situations and scenarios just like fire drills.’ 

Sammy and Daniels are both being praised for thwarting what could have been a possible kidnapping that day. 

CBS reported that the Pottstown Police Department located the woman over the weekend, and she has been referred for mental health help.  

Sammy now has a family friend walk him home from school following the scare.