Florida Girl, Using ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Tip, Escapes Kidnapping

PENSACOLA, FL — Watching episodes of "Law & Order: SVU" with her mother paid off this week for 11-year-old Alyssa Bonal, the victim of an attempted kidnapping in Pensacola. After remembering something she heard on the show, Alyssa’s quick thinking helped police catch her would-be kidnapper.

Footage of the attempted kidnapping was shared earlier this week by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. It shows Alyssa fight off the knife-wielding man after he pulled up in a SUV and charged at her.

Alyssa’s mother, Amber Bonal, told the Pensacola News Journal that while her daughter was able to escape the kidnapper, Alyssa knew there was one more thing she needed to do.

She used the homemade blue slime she had been playing with to do it.

"She said, 'Mom, I had to leave some sort of evidence behind, like on Law & Order: SVU,'” Amber Bonal told the News Journal in an interview. “We've watched probably every episode on Hulu. She's a smart cookie, she thinks on her toes. She got that slime everywhere."

Actor Mariska Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: SVU,” praised Alyssa in an Instagram post shared Thursday.

“You are one BRAVE, Strong and Smart young woman,” Hargitay wrote. “I think the SVU squad might have to add slime to their crimefighting gear! Take good care of yourself and each other.”

Off-screen, Hargitay's own life has been influenced by the character she plays, who on the show investigates rape and domestic violence cases.

Hargitay has long been an advocate for survivors of sexual assault. She founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004, a nonprofit that raises money to help victims of sexual assault find treatment.

She has also worked with Michigan police and the Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to raise awareness about the number of untested rape kits in Detroit, Cleveland and Los Angeles. Her work culminated in a 2017 documentary titled, "I Am Evidence."

RELATED: Detroit Discovers 100 Serial Rapists After Processing Thousands Of Rape Kits

In Pensacola, Alyssa's almost-kidnapping kicked off an hourslong manhunt for the suspect. Police eventually arrested 30-year-old Jared Paul Stanga in connection with the attempted kidnapping. Police said he still had blue dye on him, similar to the dye used in Alyssa’s slime, the News Journal reported.

Stanga was charged with attempted kidnapping, aggravated assault and battery. His bond is set at more than $1.5 million.

Stanga’s extensive criminal history, including past sexual crimes against children, suggested his intention to commit a heinous crime, the Washington Post reported, citing Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons.

“I cannot help to think that this could have ended very differently,” Simmons said at a news conference Tuesday evening. “Had this 11-year-old victim not thought to fight and to fight and to just never give up, then this could have ended terribly.”

The attack happened quickly, Alyssa told Orlando-based WKMG.

“What is he going to do with me? Where is he going to — where am I going to be at?” Alyssa told WKMG, recalling the thoughts she had during the attack. “He had a knife in his hand. I tried running off, but then he got me.”

The Bonal family is still processing what happened. Amber Bonal said Alyssa is doing great, but she’s not sure her daughter has fully processed the severity of what happened to her.

Still, Amber said her daughter was definitely her own hero this week.

“If she hadn't fought like hell to get away from the attacker, things could have turned out much differently,” Amber Bonal told the News Journal. “We need to bring more awareness to something like this, because it could have been really bad,” she said. “She could have been gone forever.”

Michael Friedman, who owns Champion Karate in Lake Mary, Florida, and teaches kids how to fight off would-be attackers, praised Alyssa’s escape. A little knowledge goes a long way, he told WKMG in a separate interview.

“Elbows are an equalizer," Friedman told the news station, "so elbows and knees are very very powerful.”