*Update* Child Abduction Thwarted by Savvy Kid at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
A young girl just wrapping up ski team practice was grabbed by a strange man and forced onto the town shuttle this past Fri (11-19). Once the girl realized what was happening she got a description of the abductor and ran. Once free she headed straight to ski patrol and got law enforcement involved.
*UPDATE*
Here is the Official Statement from MLPD
“Attempted Abduction of Juvenile
On November 19th, 2021, at approximately 4:15 PM a juvenile was pulled onto a Mammoth Mountain parking shuttle by an unknown male. The juvenile was able to get out of the situation by exiting the bus when it stopped.
The juvenile described the subject as a male in his late 30s, approximately 6 feet tall
wearing black snowboard pants and a black snowboard jacket with white snowboard boots. The subject had a black snowboard with a neon green bottom. The bottom of the snowboard had a black zig zag design.
When officers arrived, all buses were stopped and checked for anybody matching the description of the male subject. The area where the incident occurred was also canvassed. No one matching the description was located.
The juvenile was unharmed and was reunited with her parents shortly after the incident. This investigation is still ongoing. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Mammoth Lakes Police Department at 760-965-3700.”
Here is the official statement from Mammoth Mountain.
“Dear Families,
I, along with our staff, was made aware this morning of an upsetting incident that took place at the resort yesterday, Friday, November 19th. One of our team members was released yesterday afternoon from her team training and as she prepared herself to head home per her routine, a male approached her and firmly pulled her out of the Red Line Bus Line and forcibly took her to the parking shuttle. Luckily our athlete was savvy enough to understand what was happening and as soon as the parking shuttle stopped at A stop, she fled and immediately headed to Ski Patrol. She was able to provide Patrol and Police with a very good description of the individual. Once a description was out all bus service was halted and on lockdown as the MLPD and Ski Patrol continued to search. Parents were notified and reconnected with their child.
We are bringing this to your attention not to frighten you and your children, but as a reminder to discuss with your children their end of the day pick up plan or even your lunch plan. As we operate in a public environment with large crowds, we encourage you to educate your children on the importance of being aware of their surroundings and what to do if a stranger approaches them. These prepared plans also make good sense on snowy days, or truly any time athletes are training with the team. Additionally, if your children ride the Red Line or any of our public transportation, please talk to them about the value of having a buddy when departing either for the ski area or the end of their daily training session. We encourage our parents to communicate with your children’s coaches their daily plan for returning to mom and/or dad.
Thank you in advance for helping us protect your child’s safety. We take these types of matters very seriously, and are working closely with Senior Leadership and MLPD to identify and implement additional safety protocols to help prevent future incidents of this nature.
– Pam Lonza
Office Manager, MMSST”
Here is the official response from Jennifer Wildman, Superintendent of Mammoth Schools
“Dear parents and staff,
We were made aware of an upsetting incident that took place at Mammoth Mountain on Friday, November 19. One of the ski team members was released from her team training and preparing to head home per her normal routine. As she waited in line for the bus, an unknown male approached her and firmly pulled her out of the red line bus line, and forcibly took her to the parking shuttle. Luckily, she was savvy enough to understand what was happening and as soon as the parking shuttle stopped at a stop, she fled the shuttle and immediately headed to the ski patrol. She was able to provide law enforcement with a good description of the suspect.
As a result, all town bus service was halted and on lockdown for a search for the suspect. Parents were notified and reconnected with their child. We bring this to your attention as a reminder to discuss with your children how to be extra cautious when outside of your home. The Holidays bring larger crowds to town and potentially more risk. We encourage you to talk with your children on the importance of being aware of their surroundings, and what to do if a stranger approaches them. Please make sure your children and teens exercise caution around town at the resort on the slopes in stores and restaurants and in or around public transportation. Please talk to them about the value of having a buddy when outside of your supervision. We encourage you to communicate with your children about their daily plan for being outside and around town and to report any suspicious activity to you. Law enforcement and or another trusted adult immediately. Thank you for sharing responsibility and keeping all of our children safe and for caring for our entire community. Together we can be part of heightened awareness on behalf of all of our kids.
-Jennifer Wildman, Superintendent”
In this day and age it is supremely important to teach our kids about safety and how to remain aware of your surroundings and what to do in these situations. Make sure to have these conversations with your kids.
We commend that little girl on her bravery and wherewithal to know what to do to keep herself safe.
Here is a link to MLPD for tips on how to talk to your kids about safety
https://www.townofmammothlakes.ca.gov/207/Police-Department
Eastern Sierra NOW will have more on the situation as it develops.
Jesse is a media content creator and film maker from the Eastern Sierra.
