Woman sensed female passenger in car ahead in traffic wasn't okay—her quick observation saved passenger's life

The driver even noticed that the female passenger even tried to exit the vehicle once, but was unsuccessful.

PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO

A woman looking through her car's windshield with a distressed expression. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Dima Berlin

Trigger Warning — This article contains themes of assault that some readers might find distressing.

When you see something wrong, do you look away—or do you step in? One woman chose the latter, and it ended up saving a life. She was in traffic when she noticed that there was something off with another woman in one of the cars in front of her. She felt that the woman was being held against her will as the man in the car repeatedly "assaulted" her as all the cars waited in traffic. She even observed that the woman tried to get out of the car, but the man pulled her back inside. The scene in front of her looked like an attempted kidnapping and the onlooker immediately decided to take action, per Victorville Daily Press.

A woman stuck in traffic and looking around. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Nisian Hughes

The woman called 911 and reported what she saw to the officials. "The passenger, an adult female, was screaming for help and attempted to exit the vehicle several times, but [the driver] pulled her back in the car," a sheriff's department spokesperson, Gloria Orejel, recounted. The woman decided to go one step further after the call and ensure that the victim was safe. "The caller followed the vehicle until Fernandez pulled over. The victim exited Fernandez’ vehicle, covered in blood and got in the caller’s vehicle." The officials found out that the man actually had a knife and had caused several cuts on the victim's body as he tried to hold her captive in the car.

A distressed woman calling someone while squatting close to her car. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Simple Images

The cuts didn't look deep or life-threatening, so the victim didn't want to be taken to the hospital, per the outlet. The officers found the suspect sitting inside a car on the 10800 block of Balsam Avenue and his hands were covered in blood because he had attacked the woman. "He was uncooperative, did not comply with commands and resisted arrest," Orejel recounted. The man was identified as a 23-year-old Jacob Michael Fernandez from Hesperia. He was taken into custody and then examined at a hospital before being put in jail. The knife was also found in his car and was then kept by the department as evidence for the case.

A police officer arresting a man. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Gideon Mendel

Fernandez was booked for suspicion of kidnapping, attempted murder, making criminal threats and resisting police, according to the records. The man was held without bail as the legal proceedings were pending. The victim knew the man, according to the spokesperson, but the actual relationship between the two people was not disclosed by the officials. The outlet encouraged anyone with information to reach out to the Hesperia Police Department at (760) 947-1500. Anonymous information was asked to be submitted to the We-Tip hotline at (800) 782-7463.

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A stranger's willingness to help a person saves lives in several cases. In another case, a woman went to a gas station washroom when another distressed woman handed her a note and asked her to call the police, per KSL TV5. The victim had scribbled her contact information on the paper and explained that her phone was with the kidnapper. "I said, 'Are you in trouble?' and she said, 'Yes' and I said, 'Ok, I’ll help you.' Then she said, 'Give this to the police. I have to go. He’s waiting right outside. He’s right there,' and she was shaking," the woman recounted. The woman carefully recorded the kidnapper at the gas station and tailed the car until she got a view of the license plate and called 911. The police eventually arrested the man and the woman was safe.