A chilling incident unfolded in Hillsboro, Oregon, when a doorbell camera captured a woman’s desperate plea for help before she was forcibly taken away by a man. The Hillsboro Police Department released footage from the incident, which occurred around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday at a residence located at Southeast 32nd Avenue and East Main Street.
The video depicts a bespectacled woman rushing towards the door, screaming for assistance. A man, identifiable by his beard and dark trousers, is seen grabbing her and pulling her towards his truck. The woman’s terrified cries of “Please help me!” echo in the footage.
The homeowner, who was unaware of the incident at the time, reported hearing knocking but found no one outside when she went to investigate. It was only after reviewing the footage from her doorbell camera that she realized the gravity of the situation and promptly alerted the police.
Initially, the police treated the incident as a potential kidnapping case, noting that the pair had left the scene in a white pickup truck. However, with the help of the local community, they were able to identify and apprehend the suspect in the early hours of Tuesday. The woman was also identified and confirmed to be safe.
The police later clarified that the incident was a domestic dispute and assured the public that there was no broader threat. The woman who captured the video on her doorbell camera told KGW-TV that she did not know either the woman or the man involved in the incident.
The woman’s fear was palpable, according to the homeowner. She described the woman’s voice as frantic and her actions – clutching the door in the video – as abnormal. The police have not released the names of the victim or the suspect, but they have confirmed that the man is facing a kidnapping charge.
Hillsboro, a suburb of Portland, is home to approximately 107,000 residents. The average home in Hillsboro sells for around $544,000, according to real estate website Zillow.