Gaithersburg Man Arrested For Attempting To Kidnap Child At Bus Stop
After making an attempt to kidnap a child at a Gaithersburg bus stop, a 30-year-old man is now being charged.
According to Montgomery County police, Jamaal Germany allegedly grabbed a child on Towne Crest Drive near Washington Grove Lane just before 8:00 a.m. on Monday.
Germany is charged with attempting to remove the child to an adjacent apartment complex. According to authorities, several students at the bus stop leapt in to stop it, allowing the victim to escape.
Staff at Redland Middle School were the first to report the occurrence, and they immediately informed the school’s Community Engagement Officer.
Germany was brought to the Montgomery County Central Processing Center after being detained on Monday.
Police are currently requesting that anybody who thinks they may have been a victim of Germany contact them by calling 240-773-5400.
The principals at Resnik Elementary, Redland Middle School and Magruder High School sent a joint letter home to families after the incident. Read it below:
Dear Resnik Elementary, Redland Middle and Magruder High families,
We are writing to share information related to a serious incident that impacted our community today, Monday, March 20 and how it was addressed.This morning, there was an attempted abduction of a Redland Middle School student at the bus stop located at the intersection of Towne Crest Drive and Towne Crest Court. An individual tried to pull a student into a residence, but the student was able to get away and board the school bus as it arrived. The student is unharmed. The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) was immediately notified, investigated the incident, and identified a suspect who was taken into custody. There will continue to be an increased security presence by both MCPS and MCPD today and tomorrow at the impacted bus stop. We are sharing this information with all three school communities given that the bus stop where the incident occurred is used by students from these schools.The Montgomery County Police continue their investigation and are asking the public if they have any information concerning this individual and any other potential incidents to please call their non-emergency number 240-777-5400 or you may call the Maryland Safe Schools anonymous tip line at 1-833-MD-B-SAFE / 1-833-632-7233. You can learn more in the police press release hereWe are grateful for the quick action of our students and the bus driver and for the support of our MCPS security and Montgomery County Police Department partners. As additional information becomes available, I will share with the community as appropriate. Knowing that this may have been alarming for some of our students, we are providing social emotional support to all of the students who were at the bus stop and may have witnessed this. If you feel that your child needs to speak with someone at the school about this, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s counselor for support.
Thank you,
Principals,
LaTricia Thomas, Judith A. Resnik Elementary School
Matthew Niper, Redland Middle School
Dr. Lee Evans, Col. Zadok Magruder High School