A 14-year-old girl in Southern California is being hailed as a hero after she saved herself and her 4-year-old niece from a robber.
It all started in broad daylight, at 3:30 in the afternoon at Savannah Jones’s home east of Los Angeles. Savannah, a responsible 14-year-old, had been babysitting her toddler niece, Zoyee, when she heard a knock at the door.
Savannah was immediately suspicious. They weren’t expecting any visitors. Then the knocking became louder. Savannah crept up to the peephole and looked out.
A man Savannah had never seen before stood on the porch.
Savannah thought fast and– grabbing Zoyee and her phone– dashed into the bathroom. That’s when the man kicked in the front door.
“I was very scared,” Savannah later told the reporter in the video below. “Not so much for myself, but just Zoyee.”
It may sound like dramatic words from a young teen on TV, but the texts Savannah sent her mom from inside the bathroom prove her concern for the toddler’s safety went above her own.
Maria Muratalla, Savannah’s mom, was stuck in traffic when she saw her daughter’s text. She said it was gut-wrenching, not being there with the girls. Thankfully, she wasn’t
completely powerless to help. Maria called a neighbor and asked her to call 911.
Meanwhile Savannah and Zoyee stayed huddled in the bathroom. Savannah could hear the man rummaging through her mom’s belongings on the other side of the door, but she remained calm and encouraged her toddler niece to stay silent.
Thanks to Savannah’s quick-thinking, the man left without ever finding the girls.
Watch the video below for more of this incredible teen’s story, and share!