Teen Sees Stranger on Porch, Grabs 4-Year-Old Niece and Hides Before He Kicks in Door
Babysitting courses can be a valuable way for preteens and teens to gain the confidence and skills needed to be a trusted babysitter. The basic childcare information taught as well as life-saving skills such as CPR and First Aid helps prepare teens to take on the important leadership position that babysitters hold.
Some classes even help new babysitters manage the business side of offering childcare services. Yet, there are aspects of babysitting that cannot be taught in a classroom setting.
Savannah Jones, 14, did not have time to consider how a babysitting manual would instruct her to handle the scary situation facing her.
In fact, many babysitting courses may not even have a specific answer for how to approach an intruder breaking into the home at which the babysitting is taking place.
Instead, Savannah had to rely on her gut instinct. Thankfully, she acted quickly and did not allow fear to freeze her from protecting herself and the child she was watching.
Savannah was babysitting her 4-year-old niece Zoyee. There was a knock on the door of Savannah’s home in Montclair, California, around 3:30 p.m one afternoon.
Savannah knew not to blindly open the door, so she instead looked through the front door peephole. She immediately got a bad feeling from the sight of the strange man standing at the door.
Savannah wisely did not give the stranger the benefit of the doubt. She grabbed Zoyee and told her to stay hidden in the bathroom.
Savannah called her mother, Maria Muratalla, for guidance, but as she was on the phone, the knocking only grew more aggressive. Then, the doorknob began moving.
It became clear to the 14-year-old babysitter that the man was going to break into the home, so she ran to the bathroom and hid with Zoyee.
Savannah’s timing was excellent as the man ended up kicking down the front door and rummaging through the home right after she locked the bathroom door.
Savannah’s main task at this point was to calmly make sure that Zoyee would not make noise alerting the intruder to their hiding spot.
While hiding, Savannah texted her mother terrified updates and fears about the situation. Savannah’s mother called a neighbor who then called 911 and ran over to the home to check out the scene.
The intruder had already left by the time that the neighbor and police arrived. While the intruder’s actions have imposed on the family’s sense of safety, thankfully he did not do more harm.
Savannah handled the terrifying ordeal with extreme maturity and patience. She has not only proved herself to be a trustworthy babysitter, but a very brave young woman!
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