An 8-year-old boy heroically saved his 10-year-old sister after an alleged heroin addict tried to drive away with them in the backseat of a car moments before their 69-year-old great-grandmother valiantly chased him down.
Police in Ohio say that the incident took place at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown on Thursday.
Nita Coburn, 69, was driving a woman friend to the emergency room while Coburn’s two great-grandchildren were in the backseat of the car.
According to police, Coburn pulled up to the entrance and got out of the car to help her friend.
Police in Ohio say that the incident took place at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown on Thursday
Nita Coburn, 69, was driving her female friend to the emergency room while her two great-grandchildren were in the back seat
After Coburn and her friend went inside, police say a heroin addict jumped into the driver's seat and started pulling away. But the two kids managed to escape thanks to the heroic actions of an 8-year-old boy
Ten seconds after she and her friend had left the car, police say Dalvir Singh, 24, jumped into the driver’s seat and took off with the two kids in the backseat.
The boy, Chance, opened the door to escape the car. His sister, Skyler, tried to jump out of the car as well, but Singh allegedly grabbed onto her hoodie to keep her inside the vehicle.
Coburn, 69, is seen far right with her great-grandchildren - Chance (center), 8, and Skyler (left), 10
Chance and Skyler were left alone in the backseat of their great-grandmother's car while she and a friend went into the emergency room on Thursday
Chance grabbed his older sister and pulled her out of the moving car while Coburn is seen above on the top left giving chase, thinking that the two children were still inside
Coburn grabbed onto the steering wheel in an attempt to stop Singh from stealing her car but was forced to eventually let go while Chance and Skyler tumbled out of the car from the rear passenger door
The image above shows the great-grandmother hanging onto the steering wheel of the car while her two great-grandkids have already escaped
Police eventually caught up to Singh and arrested him. The two kids are seen above as Singh drives away
That’s when her younger brother grabbed hold of her and pulled her away from Singh.
While this was happening, Coburn was giving chase. She ran down the car from the driver's side and tried to grab onto the steering wheel.
When she tried to open the door, Singh slammed it shut and then locked it, forcing her to let go.
The siblings then tumbled out of the moving car.
‘This little guy is a hero, no question,’ Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw told WLWT-TV.
Police say Singh is a heroin addict from India. He was charged with two counts of kidnapping, felonious assault, and grand theft
‘He pulled his sister out of the car with no concern for his own safety.’
Police pulled Singh over and arrested him.
He was charged with two counts of kidnapping, felonious assault, and grand theft.
Police allege that the man is addicted to heroin.
Coburn told WCPO-TV that she thought she had locked the car. Otherwise, she says she would not have left her great-grandchildren alone in the backseat.
But because she left the keys inside, a safety feature prevented her from locking the doors.
That allowed Singh to allegedly enter the driver’s seat and begin to drive off.
‘Every time I think about it, I want to cry,’ she said. ‘It’s the most morbid feeling in the world.’
Coburn said that while she tried to regain control of her stolen car from Singh, she could see her great-granddaughter trying to escape his hold.
Coburn said she believed she had locked the door when she went into the emergency room, but a safety feature on the car prevents the doors from locking when the keys are still inside the vehicle
Police officers are hailing Chance (left) as a hero for pulling his sister, Skyler, out of the car
‘The second time he slammed it shut, I saw he had a hold of Skyler,’ she said.
Coburn says she then screamed and grabbed the door handle while Singh dragged her along the pavement.
As the car was approaching the curve, her great-granddaughter was pulled out of Singh’s grip by Chance.
Surveillance video shows Chance and Skyler tumbling out of the back seat of the car together.
Police believe Coburn was dragged four car-lengths before she let go.
She then saw the two children running toward her while Singh drove away.
‘That car didn’t bother me at all,’ Coburn said.
‘It was them two babies. No one needs to feel that fear. No one does.’