Girl escapes in abductor's car

By James Haynes
Friday, September 16, 2005

LYNN - A 13-year-old Lynn girl thwarted an alleged attempted kidnapping Wednesday, and helped police capture the suspect by absconding with her bumbling captor's car.
 
Alido Diaz, 40, 11 James St., Lynn, was ordered held without bail Thursday pending a dangerousness hearing on charges of kidnapping and receiving stolen property, for allegedly accosting, then grabbing the girl off Liberty Street shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Diaz allegedly wouldn't take no for an answer after offering the girl a ride in his car.

"The defendant asked her if she wanted a ride, and she said no. He asked her again, and she said no again," said assistant District Attorney Jonathan Brennan. "She ran up the street, the defendant chased her, caught her, and put her in the car."
 
Prosecutors said Diaz and the girl did not know one another.
  
Diaz allegedly then repeatedly told the terrified girl not to worry, promising to take her home.
  
The alleged victim, however, wasn't interested in waiting around.
  
When Diaz pulled over at Musicentro on Essex Street, leaving her in the running car to talk to friends, the girl jumped out of the back seat, smashed the car's rear window, then jumped into the front seat and drove herself home.

Although the victim was unable, initially, to identify her assailant from photo arrays, police discovered two interesting things upon examining the car: it had been reported stolen, and Diaz was cited in 2004 while driving the car. Diaz also fit a general physical description of the person who reported the car stolen.

Police arrested Diaz shortly before 11 p.m., when - having lost his keys along with the car - the luckless suspect called police to complain that he was locked out of his home.

"As luck would have it, Sgt. (Richard) Donnelly had the keys and (I) was transporting the victim home," wrote Officer Charles Griffin in his incident report. "When Alido Diaz walked out on the sidewalk to get the keys...the victim (identified) Diaz as the man who had kidnapped her. She was 100 percent sure."

Interviewed by police, Diaz allegedly gave an inconsistent account of his actions that evening.

Diaz pleaded not guilty to the charges. He returns to court on Thursday, Sept. 22.
     
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