A pair of sanitation workers from Louisiana are being hailed as heroes after saving a ten-year-old girl who had been kidnapped. Authorities issued an Amber alert, warning that Jalisa Lasalle was in "imminent danger" after she was taken from the home of a relative on Sunday (February 7) afternoon. The alert said she was last seen getting into a gray 2012 Nissan Altima.
On Monday, Pelican Waste & Debris workers Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine were picking up trash along their usual route in St. Martin Parish when they noticed a gray car parked in the middle of a field. They knew something wasn't right and called the police.
The two workers then used their garbage truck to stop the driver from leaving. Police arrived and took the suspect, identified as Michael Sereal, 33, into custody. He is being held without bond on charges of aggravated kidnapping of a child and failure to register as a sex offender. He is reportedly an acquaintance of Jalisa's family.
Merrick and Antoine were both praised by their boss for helping to rescue Jalisa.
"We couldn't be prouder of Dion and Brandon," Pelican CEO Roddie Matherne said in an email to ABC News. "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. 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].
Officials said that Jalisa was examined by medical personnel but did not release details about her condition.
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