METHUEN, MASS. (WHDH) - A man who was arrested after a quick-thinking shopper thwarted the attempted kidnapping of a woman at a busy shopping plaza in Methuen has been ordered held without bail.
Rafael Rosario, 53, of Lawrence, was arraigned Monday in Lawrence District Court on several charges including attempted carjacking, strangulation, and attempted kidnapping. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
The woman who was violently attacked Friday night in the Market Basket parking lot says she turned for a split second to put her pocketbook on the passenger seat while her door was still open.
“I was getting ready to close the door, and I felt someone shove against me,” said Yvonne Lesko.
Lesko, a single mother of two, realized she was under attack.
“He did get his hand around my throat,” she said.
But Lesko wasn’t going down without a fight.
“I started pushing back, got my hand on the horn, and started beeping and was pushing off him off at the same time and screaming, ‘Help’ and ‘help me, help me,'” she said.
Those actions got the attention of Jay Sarcione, who was pulling into the grocery store lot.
He locked eyes with the man in Lesko’s car, and the man took off running.
Sarcione and Lesko chased after him, while Lesko called 911.
“I think it was the right thing to do,” Sarcione said. “It’s kind of risky, but not doing anything is way worse.”
Police arrived and say they found Rosario hiding in a snowy yard with a pair of nail clippers and a bottle of liquor on him.
“Thank God the gentleman was there to assist,” said Methuen police Capt. Kristopher McCarthy. “It was very brave. We don’t recommend people taking action like that, but we were glad he took the action he did to place this man into custody.”
Meantime, Lesko says she’s OK, but when she reunited with the man who came to her rescue, everything she had gone through started sinking in.
“He just opened his arms to me and gave me a big hug, and that’s when I got a little emotional and tears started flowing,” she said.
Police say the incident is a reminder to always keep an eye on what’s happening around you.
“We just ask people to be aware of your surroundings,” McCarthy said. “This plaza is very busy, there were people around when this occurred; we ask people to be aware of their surroundings at all times.”
Rosario, who was on probation on larceny and assault charges, is due back in court March 15.
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