A strong community can do far more than a single person can. Sometimes, you need someone to watch your back. In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, two teenage boys went above and beyond to protect their community.
How Two Teens Used Their Quick-Thinking to Save a Little Girl
5-year-old Jocelyn Rojas was playing in her front yard one early afternoon, as she always does. When her guardians went inside, things took a turn for the worst. She was lured into the car of a stranger. Jocelyn couldn’t be found. Her family called the police and issued a search. Jocelyn’s neighbours searched alongside the police for two hours.
Just as an Amber Alert was about to be filed, 15-year-old Temar Boggs and his friend Chris came back to save the day. They returned Jocelyn safely to her family -- on their bikes!
When the search started, the two teens jumped on their bikes and began to scour the neighbourhood. After a while, they spotted something out of place. “I saw this suspicious car and I looked into the passenger seat, it was a little girl.” They slowly followed the car to try and confirm the identity of the child. When they could see it was Jocelyn, the boys went into a full sprint chasing the car.
The driver wasn’t easy to catch, especially on a bike. “Every time we’d go down the street, he’d turn back around, and then … we’ll follow him,” Temar said. They chased the kidnapper for 15 minutes. The driver seemed to realize he was being followed and decided to give the girl up. “He stopped at the end of the hill and let her out,” Temar said, “She stood there for a little and then she ran to me and said that she needed her mommy.” The boys comforted Jocelyn and ensured she was safe. Minutes later, they returned the girl back to her family.
How Community Played a Role in Bringing a Little Girl Home
When they returned, the whole community took turns giving the two teens flowers and praise. “At first she didn’t want to leave my arms,” Temar said, “She was scared until I told her, ‘They’re going to take you to your mom.’”
Temar and Chris showed an unbelievable amount of courage that afternoon by putting themselves in harm’s way to protect their community. Luckily, no one was hurt and Jocelyn was back with her caregivers. “He’s our hero. There is just no words to say,” Jocelyn’s grandmother Tracey Clay said.
Jocelyn’s mother also showed her gratitude to the boys that saved her daughter. “It’s amazing that teenagers took it upon themselves and put their lives in danger to make sure my child was okay,” She said.
The Lancaster community came together to save Jocelyn. All of her relatives and neighbours played a role in bringing the child home safely and didn’t rest until it was done. Without a strong community, a triumph like this could never happen.
