Temple student escapes abductor

A Temple University student was briefly abducted earlier this week by a sly fiend who lured her with a call for help.

Police said the 20-year-old woman was walking on 16th Street near Market about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when she heard a man say, "Can someone help me with this seat?"

She spotted a 20-something man who was standing next to a black four-door sedan that was parked with its motor running.

The man claimed he was having trouble securing his baby's car seat. When the woman leaned in head-first to examine the seat, the assailant forced her into the sedan and locked the door, said Capt. John Darby, of the police Special Victims Unit.

As the terrified woman realized that the "baby" was actually a stuffed animal, her abductor got behind the steering wheel and drove off.

Darby said the man threatened to shoot her if she tried to flee. A black handgun rested next to him on a center console.

The abduction, however, was short-lived.

The woman bolted from the car when the kidnapper stopped at a traffic light near 16th and JFK Boulevard, Darby said. She was not harmed.

She described the abductor as black, muscular, about 5 feet 10 and having low-cut hair and a beard.

Darby described the incident as "quite unusual and disturbing." He said it was the first time he had heard of a man using "props" to lure an unsuspecting woman into a car.

Temple University's campus safety services sent a memo to students yesterday warning them about the incident.

The abduction occurred just three days after a man groped and punched a 21-year-old woman as she entered her apartment building near 21st and Locust streets.

Tipsters can contact the SVU at 215-685-3251.