ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) - A routine dog walk took an alarming turn after cameras captured a Central Florida woman being held at gunpoint.
The attempted abduction, taking place in broad daylight, has an Orange County community on edge and seeking answers.
Julia Andersen says the video was taken right near her home. She says the incident is her final straw, and she and her fiancé are thinking of selling their house.
“It’s terrifying, honestly,” she said. “My fiancé, he works a lot of overnight shifts in residency. So I’m here by myself, and not being able to walk your dog in a safe place is horrible. It was definitely a challenging conversation. We’re close to College Park. We love the location of the house, but. If I feel completely unsafe walking outside of the house, walking my dog, I just can’t be in that area anymore.”
Andersen is only one of the many residents worried after seeing the video.
“In broad daylight. They’re not scared of the dark anymore,” said Lawanda Reilly, whose grandchildren live nearby. “They do it in broad daylight now. I don’t even know what to say anymore. It’s very scary. I have grandkids here that play on these streets. They walk on these streets; they go to school. Right over here. That’s pretty scary. At the end of the day. That you can’t even walk down the street.”
According to Orange County deputies, a woman was walking her dog just after 10:00 a.m. on May 11th in a neighborhood just outside Orlando when she noticed a car driving past her several times.
She kept walking, but the SUV turned and blocked her path. The driver then pointed a handgun at her and told her to get in the car.
The woman ran, and thankfully, the suspect drove off.
“If she got in that car, you know, or he had kept pressing her to get in the vehicle or forced himself on her to get in the vehicle, I couldn’t imagine where she would have ended up. Or what would have happened to her,” said Andersen.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the man was caught on camera in the area where the SUV was stolen.
“This area. Up-and-coming area, closer to College Park; there are barely any cops around this area,” said Julia. “No one came to ask us about the incident. No one asked for our Ring doorbell footage. It just is. Concerning.”
The suspect is still on the loose.
Residents are hoping to see more law enforcement in the area.
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