Search underway for kidnapped Bronx teen
Raw video: Surveillance footage shows a group of men grabbing the 16-year-old and forcing her into the car.
A teen seen on video being dragged inside a car and kidnapped on a New York City street in front of her mother and then found hours later admitted to staging the the incident, according to media reports.
Karol Sanchez, 16, admitted to the fabricating her abduction, New York Police Department officials told the New York Times, saying the incident possibly stemmed from the teen's difficult relationship with her mother. One police official described the mother as "overprotective," according to the Times.
Investigators are still determining if Sanchez or the two men involved will face charges. The Monday incident, which was caught on security video, captivated New Yorkers, prompted an Amber Alert and got widespread media attention. The NYPD celebrated the news of her safe return Tuesday.
Footage from a security camera near the scene was released and authorities implored the public to help in finding the girl. It was not clear what may have prompted the staged kidnapping.
One police official pointed to Sachez's mother's desire to relocate them back to her native Honduras, which the the teen was opposed to.
“Her mother wanted to move them back to Honduras, but she [Karol] was adamantly against it,” one police source told the New York Post.
Sanchez was questioned inside the New York Police Department's 40th Precint in the Bronx Tuesday night and released.
The alleged abduction occured around 11:20 p.m. Monday as Sanchez and her mother were walking near East 156 Street in the Bronx. Surveillance video appears to show two men jumping out of a car and shoving the mother to the ground and dragging the 16-year-old into a car before speeding off.
On Tuesday, Sanchez approached police officers who were stationed on Eagle Avenue just after 2:30 p.m. and told them she was the missing teen.
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The pair live in Long Island and had been in town visiting family members when the incident happened. An aunt identifed as Idalmy Martinez, 56, said the family was looking for answers.
“She is a very happy, calm person,” Martinez told the Times about her neice. “She’s always with her mother. They are very close. She is always around us, her family.”
