Two sanitation workers have been praised after rescuing a 10-year-old who had been abducted.
The girl was snatched from a family member's home in New Iberia, Louisiana, last Sunday (7 February) afternoon.
According to police, an alert was put out at the time, with officers on the look out for a grey 2012 Nissan Altima, which the girl had last been seen getting into.
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The next day, Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine, of Pelican Waste and Debris, became concerned after they spotted a grey car parked in the middle of a field while on their pickup route.
Thinking on their feet, the pair decided to block off the road out of the field to stop the driver from making a getaway, and called the police.
Speaking about the worrying incident during a Facebook Live, Mr Merrick said: "Something told me... I said, what's that car doing off in the field like that?
"I blocked the truck in, [making] sure he couldn't get out."
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Adding later: "She's safe right now."
After responding to the call and pulling the girl out of harm's way, police praised Mr Merrick and Mr Antoine for their heroics.
In a statement to ABC News, Pelican CEO Roddie Matherne said he was proud of his employees for their valiant efforts.
He said: "We couldn't be prouder of Dion and Brandon. In fact, all of our Pelican Waste team have been heroically working without fail during the pandemic quietly, professionally, and consistently serving the communities where we collect garbage & debris.
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"They often respond in other ways while on the road. This was an exceptional thing that may very well have saved a little girl's [life]."
According to reports, the man believed to be responsible for the abduction is Michael Sereal, 33, who was seen being led away from by police in the Facebook Live.
During the encounter, the 33-year-old can be heard shouting: "Why are you doing this to me?"
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He is reportedly an acquaintance of one of the girl's family members.
He is now being held in custody at the Iberia Parish Jail, without bond, on charges of aggravated kidnapping of a child and failure to register as a sex offender.
Sereal is a registered on the local sex offender database following a conviction of carnal knowledge of a juvenile.
Louisiana State Police confirmed that the young girl was evaluated by medical personnel and that the investigation into the abduction is ongoing.
Featured Image Credit: Pelican WasteTopics: US News, crime, Facebook