Have you ever witnessed a situation that just didn’t feel quite “right” to you? If so, did you do anything to intervene? This past summer, one extraordinary woman happened upon a mother and her young son who looked to be in danger—and, lucky for them, she risked her own safety to ensure that they got out unscathed!

This particular story comes to us from Reynoldsburg, a small town in Central Ohio. Like most Midwestern communities, it boasts a local Walmart, a store that is famous for its low prices, but also infamous for being a hotbed of unsavory behavior. Any shopper who has picked up a last-minute item in the middle of night knows EXACTLY what we are talking about!

So it probably comes as no surprise that a kidnapping suspect took his victims to one of its locations in an attempt to extort money from them. As it turns out, the kidnapping suspect, Michael McKinney, had abducted the unnamed mother and son in Lexington, North Carolina, a town that’s 400 miles away from the place where he was eventually apprehended.

It appears that his goal was to stop in at the Reynoldsburg Walmart in order to have the kidnapped mother withdraw cash from a Western Union account. That’s where the suspect ran into his first problem…

…there’s no Western Union at that particular Walmart location, a fact that drove him to make a scene in the store’s parking lot. Fortunately for the kidnapped victims, a passerby in the next car over turned her attention towards the commotion and noticed something scary— the female abductee was silently mouthing something to her: “Help me, we have been kidnapped.”

Luckily, the shopper/superhero, Ms. Tia Withers, had the reaction time of a trained professional. Once she realized that a pair of lives had just been thrust into her hands, she blocked McKinney’s car from driving away and placed a call in to 911.

Withers was able to stall the suspect for a few moments, but eventually, he found his way out of the Walmart parking lot, an action that drove the witness to tail the suspect’s car until the police could catch up.

The quick-thinking gal managed to keep her cool and stay on the phone with the 911 dispatcher throughout the entirety of the chase, providing key information that eventually lead to the arrest of Mr. McKinney.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems as though the motivation behind the kidnapping was drug-related, as the suspect tried to ditch a baggie of what the police assumed was methamphetamine as they closed in on him. Sad stuff!

To get the full scoop on this harrowing rescue, as well as an opportunity to listen in on this Good Samaritan’s 911 call, be sure to watch WCMH’s video below. We are SO happy that this mother and child are safe and sound. All it takes to do your part is to keep your eyes and ears open!

We can’t wait to hear your take on this incredible rescue! Has a similar scenario ever motivated you to call 911? If so, what happened? Have you ever been the victim of a kidnapping?