THORNTON, Colo. – Parents of a kidnapping suspect turned in their son after seeing surveillance video of him allegedly trying to abduct a 10-year-old girl from outside her Colorado school.
Diego James Gettler, 28, was taken into custody Sept. 26 on second-degree kidnapping charges, according to Thornton Police Department officials.
A girl told police a man tried to grab her outside of her school on the morning of Sept. 23 but she was able to fight back.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, the girl said the man grabbed her “in a manner she described as him wrapping his hands and arms around her waist from behind.”
She told police she started screaming “at which point the male covered her mouth with his hands to prevent her from screaming,” the affidavit states.
The victim told police she was able to pull down the mask of her attacker, which “spooked” him and caused him to run away.
The man was then seen getting into a gray Saturn Aura through the passenger side door before fleeing the scene.
Police said school surveillance video captured the incident. Officers shared images from the footage online and that’s when Gettler’s parents went to the police station.
According to the affidavit, Gettler’s parents identified their son as possibly being the suspect in the attempted kidnapping.
They told officers they recognized their son and his vehicle, which Gettler had to enter from the passenger side due to damage on the driver’s side.
Gettler’s cell phone was also pinged in the area when the attempted kidnapping occurred, the affidavit states.
Gettler was later arrested in his car outside a Home Depot in Parker on Sept. 26 and booked into Adams County Jail.
A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 5.
Thornton is a municipality just north of downtown Denver.