Georgia mom fights off potential kidnapper at gas station
In a harrowing encounter, a mother in Georgia valiantly defended her child from a suspected abductor at a gas station in Marietta. The incident, captured on surveillance video, showcases the dramatic struggle, as reported by Fox News correspondent Madison Scarpino on ‘Fox Report.’
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, a 12-year-old girl experienced a terrifying ordeal when a 38-year-old man allegedly kidnapped her, forcing her into his truck. Remarkably, she managed to escape when the vehicle was parked at a DMV office.
The suspect, Daniel Gear, is accused of abducting the young girl, whose identity remains protected, after she visited his home to spend time with his niece on August 16, as reported by WNCN.
Court documents reveal Gear’s intent to “terrorize” her, as he allegedly abducted the child without her parents’ or guardians’ consent, violently shoving her to the ground and unlawfully holding her against her will.
According to the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, Gear and his pickup truck went missing from his residence in Lillington, a town situated approximately 30 miles south of Raleigh, around 1 p.m. on the day of the incident.
Booking photo of Daniel Gear, who was charged with kidnapping and assaulting a 12-year-old girl who was friends with his niece. (Harnett County Sheriff’s Office)
Harnett County Sheriff’s deputies, along with Erwin police, launched a manhunt for Gear using drones and K-9 units, WNCN reported.
Investigators said the girl managed to get away from Gear when he parked his pickup truck at a DMW office in Erwin, a town 11 miles southeast of Lillington.
The child flagged down a driver, Jennifer Maxwell, who sat down with WRAL for an interview.
“I was almost at the DMV right there at the wooded area beside the lawyer’s office, and all of a sudden, this little girl came running out of the woods and down the embankment,” Maxwell said. “And she kind of just dropped in a ditch and was just crying hysterically.”
The DMV office in Erwin, North Carolina, where the 12-year-old girl said she escaped from her kidnapper. (Google Maps)
Maxwell continued: “I pulled over to her and I rolled down my window and I was like, ‘Baby, are you okay?’ And she was like, ‘No, I’ve been kidnapped.'”
Maxwell described the girl, who was wearing no shoes, as “all scratched up.” She said she called 911 immediately.
The girl told Maxwell that the man who kidnapped her woke her up in the middle of the night and told her to get in his car, according to the WRAL interview.
After that, the girl said he pulled off into a wooded area and made her walk for “a couple of hours” while he repeatedly pushed her and grabbed her shoulder, Maxwell said.
Photo of Daniel Gear while in Harnett County Detention Center after his arrest on Aug. 16, 2026. (Harnett County Sheriff’s Office)
Roughly seven hours after the girl escaped, deputies found Gear in a wooded area along U.S. Highway 421 and placed him under arrest, WNCN reported.
Gear was charged with first-degree kidnapping and assault on a female. He is being held in jail on a $2.5 million secured bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause hearing on Sept. 1.