On Sunday morning in Phoenix, Camelback Moving Company crew members — eight of them with three trucks — had stopped at a gas station ahead of their shift when they overheard the station’s security guard say he recognized a missing child. The guard then asked the moving company employees to help him figure out which vehicle the child was in.
One day prior, Arizona authorities had issued an Amber Alert for 2-year-old Kehlani Rodgers. She had reportedly been taken by a stranger, Marina Noriega, 23.
As per the alert, the child was last seen wearing pink pajamas with braids and was believed to be in danger.
“I showed him the Amber Alert photo, he’s like, ‘That’s her. That’s her. Because I swear that’s the child that she just ran past me,’” said Ralph Vollmert, one of the moving company workers, according to 13 News Now.
The workers decided to block Noriega’s vehicle from leaving with the toddler, said Vollmert. In the meantime, the security guard alerted the police. The moving company’s 30-foot-long trucks moved out of the way once the police arrived.
“It just breaks our heart because we have kids ourselves … nobody ever wants a kid to be harmed or to be hurt, or to be mistreated,” one of the workers said, according to Fox 10 Phoenix.
Kehlani’s aunt, Taliyah Banks, said she was relieved to get the phone call and learn that Kehlani was OK.
“That’s one of the greatest blessings we can have of all time,” Banks told 13 News Now. She also thanked the moving company workers for acting quickly.
“You didn’t have any reason to think. You just it was no hesitation. And for that, I am forever grateful me and my family,” she said.
Camelback Moving President Chad Olsen told the media that his company recently started training employees on human trafficking awareness.
“Their actions exemplify what it means to look out for our community and to take its safety seriously. This is a powerful reminder that the Amber Alert system works. We also want to express our sincere gratitude that Kehlani was safely returned to her family,” he said in a press release.
Noriega faces a felony charge for interference in custody. Her bond is set at $250,000. Noriega claimed to the authorities that Kehlani was her “long-lost” daughter. She was a recent acquaintance of the toddler’s family and was spending the night at their home.
The moving company workers received a lot of praise online.
One user — Donna Krosp — reposted a video of the dashcam footage from the trucks and in the caption, appreciated the employees for saving the young girl, calling them “true American Patriots & Heros.”
Another user appreciated the business’s efforts to train their employees.
“This company who started training their employees to spot these abductees deserves blessings upon blessings & their name in the spotlight!” wrote Tamara McCauley. “It’s Camelback Moving in Maricopa County, AZ. I hope we can make this go viral & this training becomes a huge trend!”