VIDEO: ‘Heroic’ teen girl fights off sex predator just after he used twisted ruse in assault of 66-year-old woman, police say

A Michigan man was caught on video attacking and attempting to kidnap a 14-year-old girl last month, and the Kentwood Police Department said in a statement that it wasn’t the only assault he allegedly committed that day.

“A 66-year-old female reported that while working in her yard between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on May 12, 2026, a male suspect stopped his vehicle, engaged her in conversation, made unwanted advances, and physically assaulted her,” police said.

‘I think he chose me because he saw me as a woman alone.’

Mary Raab, the first alleged victim, told WOOD-TV she was planting flowers by her mailbox when a man approached and told her that he was struggling because his brother had died.

“He got out and said, ‘I have had this very traumatic incident happen to me, my brother passed away, and I am in deep grief, and I do not know how to deal with it,'” Raab said.

Raab added, “I am thinking, ‘Well, this is very weird.'”

Raab said the man then asked her if he could use her restroom and wash his hands. Raab said she declined and directed him to a local gas station.

“I went to shake his hand, and then he put his arms around me and went to kiss me on the mouth, and I turned my head away, and he planted his lips between my jawbone and my neck,” Raab said.

She continued, “He made it kind of difficult to break out of his embrace.”

Raab added, “It is violating somebody’s space; why do you think you have the right to do that?”

“I think he chose me because he saw me as a woman alone. He was definitely testing me to see how vulnerable I was, and luckily I was calm enough and level-headed enough to make him go away without having anything devastating and dramatic happen,” Raab said.

At around 6:40 p.m., police officers responded to a report of an attempted kidnapping.

Video appears to show a dark-colored SUV pulling up alongside a teen before a man jumps out of the vehicle, runs toward her, and assaults her.

“A 14-year-old female reported that the suspect stopped his vehicle, approached her, physically assaulted her, and attempted to restrain her while she was walking on the sidewalk,” the statement read.

Police said the victim was able to fight off the suspect, who fled the crime scene in his vehicle.

Court records obtained by WWMT-TV noted that the girl told investigators the suspect grabbed her and told her, “I got you,” before she fought him off.

Police described the teen’s acts as “heroic.”

“That victim absolutely saved her own life that day; she did amazing things and fought hard and made that suspect jump back in the car and take off,” Kentwood Police Department Captain Tim Wierenga told WOOD.

Investigators interviewed witnesses, utilized license plate information, and obtained surveillance video from a resident. Detectives determined that the same suspect committed the assault and attempted kidnapping.

Police identified the suspect as 29-year-old John Moore and arrested him within 24 hours of the alleged crimes.

Records from the Kent County Correctional Facility show that Moore was arrested and booked on May 13. Moore is being held on $140,000 bail.

Moore was charged with unlawful imprisonment and assault and battery.

Citing records from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office, the New York Post reported that Moore also was hit with two probation violations.

“Obviously age didn’t matter to him; he was just looking for a victim,” Raab said. “But I am glad that I kept my head. I am glad I didn’t let him into my house.”

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WOOD reported that Moore had been previously arrested for being a “bathroom peeper who recorded an upskirt video” at a grocery store in September 2023.

WOOD at the time reported that a woman was in a restroom stall of the store when she noticed Moore “peering down at her from the next stall over.”

Surveillance cameras also caught Moore recording an upskirt video in the store’s common area and “crouching down behind the victim” to position his cell phone to record up the shopper’s dress, according to WOOD.

In 2025, Moore allegedly sexually assaulted women at a different grocery store.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker told WOOD that Moore walked around the store telling female customers they had spiders on their backs and then grabbed their buttocks.

Three women reported that Moore assaulted them, Becker said.

Moore was sentenced to time served; he had already spent six months in jail. Moore also was given three years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Moore’s public defender at a hearing called him “kind” and “gentle,” WOOD reported.

“He’s kind, and he’s gentle, and he’s patient,” attorney Laura Joyce said of Moore. “And I don’t think these crimes are reflective of the person that he is.”

“I think that he’s had a reckoning while he’s been in jail regarding some potential substance abuse issues that he has to handle,” Joyce added.

Those who witnessed suspicious activity related to the case or the suspect are urged to contact the Kentwood Police Department at 616-656-6580 or send an anonymous tip through Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.

The Kentwood Police Department did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

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