Here’s a situation: You’re out with your friend in the city’s center.
It’s late, but you’re not far from home.
It’s a quick walk back to your place and you figure things will be fine.
Someone behind you is walking down the same street.
You don’t think much of it, but the large shadowy figure picks up his speed, getting closer.
All of a sudden, a set of vehicle lights come on.
While you’re startled and confused, the person following is now on top of you.
He grabs and throws you into the van — it’s now a coordinated kidnapping.
Sound like a movie? Have you looked at human trafficking statistics lately?
In fact, kidnapping regularly happens during the day in the U.S.
So what can you do to escape a kidnapping?
The Most Important Moment of a Kidnapping
There are a number of things you can do to avoid being put in this situation, but this isn’t about avoiding kidnapping, but escaping it.
And the moment it’s apparent bad actors are attempting to take you captive — it’s an act of kidnapping.
The moment they try to grab you and kidnap you is also the most important moment.
Why? This is your best chance to escape.
An intentional, coordinated capture is often an act that is tied to organized crime.
This means that once you’re in their control, it’s their home court advantage.
Once you’re at a secured location or in a retrofit vehicle — it only takes seconds to restrict your ability to see, hear and even move.
What should you do?
- Fight back, if possible: If there are two people, it’s worth a shot to do everything in your power to NOT get in the vehicle, flee from them, etc.. If you have a weapon (that you know how to use) use it.
- If there is no possible escape in that moment: Submission may be the best move to wait for a means of escape. If half a dozen big guys surround you, all of a sudden, it’s likely best to go along and avoid unnecessary violence. Broken bones and bad bruises make escape harder, if an opportunity presents itself later.
Should you still get kidnapped, here’s what you MUST do first…
What You Must Do If You End Up Kidnapped
Kidnappers may not feed you, your adrenaline keeps you from sleeping and worry runs you down quick.
These factors make the first day your best chance to figure out an escape.
Here are the basics to assessing the situation and what to do after you make your escape.
- Understand the environment: If you are blind during the move, it’s easy to become discombobulated. Keep your wits about you and keep from panicking by trying to “feel” how you’re moving.
Does it feel like you’re going uphill, downhill? Did you hop on the interstate immediately or make a ton of turns. It’s likely the perps will travel at the speed limit, so how long did you go 55-65 mph? How many stop signs, traffic lights? Where did you end up, what did you feel/sense while being moved? Salt water spray? Mountain air? Think about where you could be based on everything. Stay sharp.
- Find a weapon: Sharp board, piece of glass, chain, rock. Think about something that could be used to bludgeon, if you need to do it.
- Acquire necessities: People are generally kind and want to help. Big cities are also full of people. The hard part here is understanding how to properly ask for help. Try reciprocity. If you’re starving, open the door to a coffee shop for someone. They’ll likely say “thank you.” Then, get uncomfortable and ask them for a cup of coffee. It could lead to sitting down and finding out more about where you are and how to move forward.
- When you find your opportunity, run! When you escape in an urban environment, you’re still in danger. The areas they keep victims aren’t usually clean and pretty. One tactic is to find the tallest building, somewhat nearby (not the one you’re in, if possible). Get in and go as high as possible. Most would assume you went further, not higher, search the first floor and move on quickly. Also, going left is unnatural to most and it could mean the difference between getting recaptured or full escape.