Transcribe your podcast
[00:00:00]

This terrifying moment caught on video shows a man grabbing a seven-year-old girl off her bike in Sterling Heights, Michigan, before running back to his car in an attempted kidnapping. The girl's aunt and cousin, faced with a fight or flight moment, went after him.

[00:00:14]

I flew through the window to try and get her and just latch on and hold on for dear life because I just couldn't imagine him getting away with her.

[00:00:25]

A nearby driver blocked the man from driving away. The suspect, 23-year-old Andy Bala, charged in not just this kidnapping attempt, but another one just an hour before. That attempt involving a 15-year-old girl just a couple miles away in nearby Clinton Township. While doing yard work, Paul Billeter says he noticed a car pull up next to the girl and heard a man ask her if she needed a ride.

[00:00:47]

He grabs her like a sack of potatoes, and I bolted towards the car because something obviously was going wrong. I grabbed a hold of him by the neck.

[00:00:58]

What went through your mind when you heard that, that he tried to do it two times in the same afternoon?

[00:01:04]

I got sick to my stomach, and it never even occurred to me that he would have went down the street and tried this again.

[00:01:13]

According to court documents, Bala received a petition for hospitalization due to mental illness last year and was discharged three days later. Now, he's held without bond in Sterling Heights. Corinne Childers, the seven-year-old girl's mother, says that doesn't make her feel safe.

[00:01:28]

Just be aware. Don't let your children go anywhere without eyes on them. I mean, look at what happened here.

[00:01:36]

Bala will be back in court at the end of August, while tonight, two children are lucky to be home. Maura Barrett, NBC News.

[00:01:44]

Thanks for watching. Stay updated about breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or follow us on social media.