Suspect arrested after middle school students foil kidnapping attempt at Maryland bus stop

Students thwarted an attempted kidnapping at a Maryland school bus stop on Monday, leading to the suspect’s arrest.

According to the Montgomery County police, a group of middle school students were waiting for the bus in Gaithersburg around 7:20 a.m. when a man grabbed one of the children.

Several of the kids intervened as the man allegedly tried to pull the victim toward an apartment complex. The child was then able to break free from their assailant and remain physically unharmed. It’s not clear if the children physically or verbally intervened.

All of the quick-thinking kids got onto the bus and told staff at Redland Middle School what happened. Around 7:55 a.m., police arrived at the school and shortly thereafter 31-year-old Jamaal Germany was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping and second-degree assault.

“Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Germany as the suspect,” the Montgomery County police said in a statement. “He was arrested and transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit. Bond information is not available at this time.”

Jamaal Germany is still in custody at Montgomery County Correctional Facility as of Tuesday.

Police spokeswoman Shiera Goff said Germany is not believed to be a child predator but did not elaborate on a possible motive, citing health privacy laws. However, police asked anyone who may be a previous victim of Germany to come forward.

A parent of a high schooler, who did not wish to be identified, told NBC Washington that this was not the first time.

“Apparently he was at the bus stop last week doing the same thing,” they said.

Principals at the three schools that use the bus stop wrote a letter to parents, informing them that school security and county police officers would be stationed at the stop for several days.

“Knowing that this may have been alarming for some of our students, we are providing emotional support to all of the students who were at the bus stop and may have witnessed this,” the letter added.