Madison Pinheiro says she was on her way home from Centennial High School, ready to start her summer.
That's when she says she started to feel uncomfortable.
“I was on my way home from school, I had just finished finals and I had noticed a yellow van cross over all the way from the far lane,” said Pinheiro
She says she was on that side of the road on purpose, so she could watch her surroundings and see traffic coming towards her.
She said she is more cautious now because a fellow Centennial High student says she was nearly kidnapped just a few days ago.
That incident happening just a little over a mile away from where she was walking.
“I just kind of kept walking and they pulled up really close, like into the bike lane. And so I kind of backed away into the dirt next to the sidewalk and he got out of the car.
At that moment Pinheiro says her instincts kicked in and she immediately ran to a place she knew was busy -- a place she felt more safe.
She says the man never touched her or said anything to her but being the only person walking there at the time seemed a little suspicious.
“I was like oh my gosh...something bad is going to happen you know. Like I've you know I've heard what they're doing and how they're trafficking and that kind of went through my head like oh my god that's going to happen to me,” said Pinheiro.
Pinheiro says listening to the story of what happened earlier this week to someone else at her school -- freaked her out.
Leaving her to wonder what she would do if that had been her.
Those thoughts quickly becoming a scary reality.
“I think paying attention to everything that's going on in the past like week or so. Because if I hadn't heard you know the other newscast from the other girl that goes to my school too, I probably wouldn’t have known about this and I probably wouldn't be where I am right now,” said Pinheiro.
