A 30-year-old man, Jamaal Germany, has been arrested for an attempted kidnapping of a Redland Middle School student in Montgomery County, Maryland. Germany has been detained and transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit.
On Monday morning, a man tried to grab a child on Towne Crest Drive near Washington Grove Lane in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which is approximately 20 miles north of Washington, D.C. The child was waiting at his bus stop when the incident occurred. Thankfully, other children were with him and intervened in the attempted kidnapping, and the kid was able to break free. It has been reported that Jamaal Germany’s intentions were to bring the child to a nearby apartment building. Fortunately, the student was unharmed and police were able to arrive at the scene while Germany was still there and make an arrest. Authorities continue to investigate the attempted kidnapping incident, as the suspect’s motives are still unclear. Germany’s bond information is not available at this time.
The community of Gaithersburg was horrified by this attempted act. The principals of Resnik Elementary, Redland Middle School and Magruder High School sent a joint letter home to families of Gaithersburg regarding the incident. The school district will also be providing social and emotional support for the students who saw what happened at the bus stop, as it was a very traumatic experience for their young eyes to witness.
In response to what happened, there will be an increased security presence by Montgomery County schools. Also, police will be at the scene of the attempted kidnapping to ensure students get safely on their bus. Detectives made a statement asking for anyone who believes they may have been victims of Jamaal Germany to come forward and call 240-773-5400.
