A 12-year-old Florida boy jumped from a moving vehicle to get away from a man after accepting a ride home from school with him, Boynton Beach police said.
Timothy Miller, 26, was arrested Wednesday on charges of kidnapping, resisting with violence and child neglect, the report said.
The child told investigators he was walking home from a school bus stop when Miller offered a ride. Police said the boy initially thought Miller seemed friendly.
The report said the boy told police that Miller asked him for drugs and looked at him strangely and began driving erratically. The boy said he was scared and that Miller told him he wasn’t allowed to leave, the police said.
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The boy opened the door and jumped out, police said.
According to an arrest report, witnesses followed the white truck after seeing the boy jump out. The witnesses then blocked the truck and detained the driver until police arrived.
Police said the boy had abrasions on his forehead, arms and legs.
“We encourage parents to use this as an opportunity to remind their children about the dangers of getting into a car with someone they do not know,” the Boynton Beach Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.
Miller was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
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