Image via YouTube
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It plays like a scene from a silent horror movie — but police say it's all too real.
Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, a 22-year-old nurse, was abducted around 9:40 p.m. in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, police said, and in an attempt to help find her, they've released the surveillance video that shows her abduction.
In the video, posted to YouTube on Monday by the Philadelphia Police Department, a man wearing a hood can be seen exiting a car, crossing a street and approaching a woman.
Image via YouTube
The video came from the 100 block of West Coulter Street, police said.
The woman crosses the street and the man follows, appearing to assault her under a streetlamp.
Image via YouTube
He then drags her down the sidewalk towards his car.
Image via YouTube
As the suspect's vehicle shakes and the woman apparently fights back — landing back on the sidewalk at one point before the man shoves her back in the car — another vehicle actually starts to drive down the road and stops nearby...
Image via YouTube
...but the other vehicle eventually backs down the road and away.
Police said the suspect was a black male, 5’10", medium-heavy build, 25-30 years-of-age, medium brown complexion, wearing a dark colored jacket with a dark colored hood and possibly with a hooded sweatshirt underneath, dark colored hat and dark colored pants.
Police said the vehicle was a 2000-2002 4-door Ford Taurus with a Pennsylvania license plate.
An eyewitness told local KYW-TV more about the abduction.
“When they got in the back of the car, you heard like a tap tap pap pap, whatever it was, it was like two of them and then the back window came out,” the eyewitness, who didn't want to show his face, said.
He said Freeland-Gaither screamed, “‘Help me, help me,’ and I turned around and I just started running up. I called the cops as I’m like yo screaming, 'Stop, stop, stop. He’s dragging her to the car.'”
He added that the abductor had a large knife.
Freeland-Gaither's family has a message for the abductor.
"Please just send her back home," Freeland-Gaither's father, Carl Freeland, told KYW. "Just let my daughter go. Whatever you want, whatever you're asking for, I'll give it to you."
Carlesha Freeland-Gaither. (Image via Philadelphia Police/Daily Mail)
On Monday evening, police announced that Mayor Michael Nutter had approved a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case, and the Fraternal Order of Police added their own $5,000 reward if an arrest is made Tuesday, KYW reported.
Anyone with information about the kidnapping of Freeland-Gaither's whereabouts is asked to call Philadelphia police at 215-686-3353.
(H/T: Daily Mail)
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Follow Zach Noble (@thezachnoble) on Twitter
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