WOBURN, MASS. (WHDH) - Two women are now bonded forever after one rescued the other from an attempted kidnapping were reunited Wednesday.
Ariel Naylor and the woman who was almost dragged away Sunday night looked on as 23-year-old Tyler Healey was arraigned in Woburn District Court on charges including attempted kidnapping and assault with attempt to rape.
Burlington police say Healey is the man in who was captured on surveillance video grabbing the woman, yanking off her shirt and trying to drag her into the woods near the Middlesex Turnpike.
Naylor said she was on her way home from work when she saw the startling scene unfolding before her. The victim said she was leaving work when she noticed Healey following her. She said she did her best to fight him off because she feared for her life.
“I just keep thinking about what would have happened if I hadn’t been on that road at that time of night. Like it was perfect timing. It was meant for me to be there with her,” Naylor said. “It’s all very emotional.”
Naylor pulled over immediately and investigators said her actions did stop the attempted kidnapping and caused the attacker to take off. The victim suffered bumps and bruises but she was not seriously injured.
“I don’t think I’m a hero. I did what any good human being should do,” Naylor said.
Healey, who has ties to Newton and Waltham, was arrested Tuesday in Winthrop and escorted into the Burlington Police Department in handcuffs after his father identified him from pictures released by the DPW as the suspect wanted in connection with an incident that took place on the side of the Middlesex Turnpike on Sunday night, prosecutors said.
During the arraignment, prosecutor Carrie Spiros noted that police were able to link Healey to the crime because police recognized the colorful, distinctive sneakers he was wearing in the surveillance video. He was also said to be wearing them when he was arrested.
“Out of everything that happened today, that was the best thing I heard. Best thing I heard in three days,” said Jessica Santiago, the victim’s sister-in-law. “You know your son is a danger to society and you were willing to turn him in. I’m a mother and I can’t tell you I’d do that, so that’s amazing.”
In the days leading up to the arrest, the victim told 7NEWS she was too afraid to leave her home. After Healey was behind bars, she and Naylor reunited.
“She’s the strongest person because she’s here. She’s seeing him and standing up for herself and anybody else and I’ll be with her to the end,” Naylor said. “She’s my forever family.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)