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Deputies release composite sketch of man who tried to kidnap girl from bus stop in Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies on Wednesday morning released a composite sketch of a man who they said tried to kidnap a 16-year-old girl on Tuesday as she walked to her bus stop.

Deputies said the girl was walking near the Alexandria Parc Vue Apartments on Bastille Lane at about 6:15 a.m. when a man in a tan or white sedan passed her twice and then parked.

The victim told deputies that the man got out of the vehicle, pushed her to the ground and tried to pull her toward the car.

A resident of the complex saw the girl kicking and screaming and pulled up to ask what was happening, deputies said.

The resident, Javier Rivas, said that as a father of two, he knew he had to do something.

"He was forcing her," he said. "She didn't let him take her. I guess she's strong."

The man got back into the car and drove away, deputies said.

"She's screaming, 'He tried to get me. He tried to get me,'" Rivas said. "Maybe he saw that I was in reverse and maybe he (was) scared and got away. I don't know."

Residents said the incident has put them on edge and they hope he’s caught soon.

“Now that we have a picture of what the guy looks like, it’s going to make it a lot easier to find him,” said resident Jo Termunde.

Some residents said they won’t be letting their family walk outside alone.

The complex’s management sent a letter to residents that said the attempted kidnapping was an isolated incident, but recommending parents accompany their children at all times until the man is caught.

Orange County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jane Watrel said the girl did exactly what she should have done.

"She did everything right," Watrel said. "She started resisting and kicking and screaming and calling attention to what was going on."

The victim was shaken and bruised in the attack, a report said.

She told deputies that the man was white, possibly in his 20s, with a thin build, brown hair and facial hair.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crimeline at 407-423-8477.