Close Ad

Garbage Men Spot Suspicious Car - What They Did Next Saved an Abducted 10-Year-Old
2 sanitation workers save abducted little girl after spotting a strange silver car
Uplifting News

Garbage Men Spot Suspicious Car - What They Did Next Saved an Abducted 10-Year-Old

Two Louisiana sanitation workers save an abducted 10-year-old girl while working their pickup route.

Jalisa Lasalle had gone missing from a family member's New Iberia home on a Sunday afternoon. Investigators believed she was in imminent danger and an Amber Alert describing a grey 2012 Nissan Altima was issued in the middle of the night.

Early Monday morning, Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine were working their trash route when something stood out to them: A lone silver car in a patchy grass field.


Something told me . . . I said, what's that car doing off in the field like that?

Dion Merrick in a Facebook Live

Merrick turned to his co-worker and told him that the car looked like the one described in the Amber Alert. They blocked the car from escaping the field with their blue Pelican Waste & Debris garbage truck and called 911.

Police arrived at the scene within minutes, rescuing Lasalle and arresting her alleged captor, 33-year-old Michael Sereal.

After a responding officer commended the men for their actions, Merrick began to tear up. "She's safe right now," he said, adding that he has a little girl of his own.

Trusting Your Instincts Can Save a Life

Pelican CEO Roddie Matherne praised his employees in a statement to ABC News.

We couldn’t be prouder of Dion and Brandon.

Roddie Matherne in a statement to ABC News

"In fact, All of our Pelican Waste team have been heroically working without fail during the pandemic quietly, professionally, and consistently serving the communities where we collect garbage and debris. They often respond in other ways while on the road. This was an exceptional thing that may very well have saved a little girl’s [life]," Matherne added.

So often people look the other way, keep going, and choose not to get involved when they see something out of the ordinary. Thanks to these sanitation workers who swiftly took action when they saw something strange instead of continuing on their route, a 10-year old is safely back home.

More Uplifting News from Goalcast:

get involved
If you feel like something isn't right, follow your instincts; you may save a life.



Hot Stories

Why Jennifer Hudson Forgave Her Mother's Killer -- Life Stories By Goalcast

At the peak of her career, Jennifer Hudson faced a horrific family tragedy. Hudson's mother and brother were brutally attacked in their family home, and her seven-year-old nephew was kidnapped. What followed was a heart-wrenching manhunt to rescue her nephew and seek justice against the man who took her family. Hudson speaks from the heart in this video on what happened to her family and how she was able to move forward.

Celebrities
ideas and thinking

bright ideas

The 21st century has brought great new opportunities for entrepreneurs. The digital revolution has completely changed the way we live -- and the landscape for aspiring CEOs and innovators.

powerful-business-woman

Keep ReadingShow less
Entrepreneurs
Sad woman arms on face
woman crying on a beach

While life is beautiful in so many ways, it is also filled with struggles and obstacles. We can’t truly appreciate happiness without experiencing some sort of pain.

Pain is inevitable. No matter how much we try to prevent bad things from happening, life will strike. Maybe you will have to face grief, betrayal or a broken heart. These experiences can tear you down in unspeakable ways. Some of them will cause so much pain that you’ll do anything that comes to mind to avoid it or feel a bit of joy, even if just for a few seconds.

Keep ReadingShow less
Authors