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Gas Station Clerk Saves Woman From Kidnappers In Stanislaus County

WATERFORD, Calif. (CBS13) — An alleged kidnapping victim is free from her captors after hiding in a gas station bathroom and calling the cops with the clerks' phone.

Surveillance cameras captured the victim reaching out to the store clerk for a lifeline, then hiding out in the bathroom where she locked the door until police came.

Pritchett-and-the-victim
Savannah Pritchett (left) looked out at the suspects after the victim (right) pleaded for help.

She made it with the help of a fast-thinking clerk who helped save her.

GET MORE: Hear the Hero Clerk Describe The Tense Moments While She Helped The Victim

Savannah Pritchett was at work at the Waterford Triple R Gas and Mart when a woman got out of a car and calmly walked inside and delivered a terrifying message.

ALSO: Attempted Kidnapping Of Girl Stokes Human Trafficking Fears In Sacramento

"She came in and was super calm, and she grabbed me and when she grabbed me she was very very shaky, she was like 'Please, please help me,'" she said. "I saw in her eyes and how bad she was shaking that oh no, she was scared. That poor girl, she was scared for sure."

Savannah Pritchett
Savannah Pritchett

The woman told Pritchett she had been kidnapped in Fresno, sexually assaulted and that her captors were planning on taking her to San Francisco.

When the captors asked Pritchett what was taking the woman to the back of the store, she came up with a story that the woman was tending to her menstrual cycle. The captors never knew Pritchett was helping their victim.

Kidnapping Suspect
Kidnapping suspect

The video shows her announcing she was leaving the store when cops arrived outside, and within seconds, Stanislaus County sheriff's deputies were inside with guns drawn.

Deputies Confront Suspects With Guns Drawn

The kidnappers were handcuffed and the victim was safe. The four suspects face a long list of charges.

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