An elderly man is being celebrated as a local hero after bravely intervening in an attempted kidnapping by a man pretending to be a utility worker outside his residence in Oregon.
This courageous 85-year-old, whose name remains undisclosed, sprang into action from his mobile home in a Medford community upon hearing a woman’s cries for help earlier this month.
According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, he encountered 42-year-old Matthew Hokulii Aranda, who was armed with a taser and trying to abduct a 25-year-old caregiver.
On the morning of May 8, the senior citizen confronted the attacker, providing crucial moments for the distressed woman to escape, even as he was allegedly tased by Aranda.
The authorities reported that Aranda pursued her with a large hunting knife, but she managed to reach her car just in time, eluding further danger.
He then dove onto the hood of her car as the caretaker was turning on the ignition. She was able to shake him off as she sped away — breaking his leg in the process, according to body camera footage released by the sheriff’s office.
Cops found a battered Aranda cowering in a nearby bush. He moaned about his broken leg as they pulled him out of his hiding spot, before cuffing and hauling him off, body cam footage showed.
Dressed in a plain white t-shirt and khakis, Aranda had allegedly posed as a utility worker — and loitered for several hours while waiting for the victim.
The condition of the elderly hero and the victim are not immediately clear.
Aranda was indicted on May 14 on a laundry list of charges, including stalking, attempted kidnapping, assault and unlawful use of a weapon.
He was convicted in 2016 of charges stemming from his relationship with a 16-year-old girl he sexually exploited and stalked.
Several other charges, including one for first-degree rape, were dropped as part of a plea deal, the Rogue Valley Times reported.
Aranda was sentenced to just over six years in prison for that crime.