8-year-old Goshen girl survives alleged attempted kidnapping

GOSHEN, Ind. --- Goshen Police are investigating an alleged attempted kidnapping that happened Tuesday night. The incident happened just after 9:30 p.m. near the intersection of Main Street and Wilden Avenue. 

8-year-old Sadie says she was riding her bike when an unknown man drove up behind her and picked her up off of her bike.

"He got me and he put his hand over my mouth and my eyes," said Sadie. "I was scared because I thought I wouldn’t get away but I did."

Sadie says she began biting and kicking her attacker until he eventually let her go and she ran home for safety.

"She came back from riding her bike and she was crying and frantic," said Lori Rassi, Sadie's mother.

Rassi says she frequently practices survival scenarios with Sadie in the event that she finds herself in a dangerous situation.

"We’ve talked about for several years just being safe and practiced how to get out of different holds and how to hopefully get away if something like this happened and it worked," said Rassi.

Rassi is encouraging all parents to go through these scenarios with their kids regularly to keep them safe.

"If you don’t practice, how are you going to respond when the actual moment comes? That’s why we’ve done actual role playing," said Rassi. 

Goshen Police have not released any suspect information at this time, but they do say it is an active investigation.