City honors family, volunteer for thwarting child abduction at park

STERLING HEIGHTS — Sterling Heights city and police officials recently gave many rounds of applause and more to four people credited with fighting off the kidnapping attempt of a 7-year-old girl at a Sterling Heights park in August.

During a Sept. 17 meeting, the Sterling Heights City Council honored the victim’s aunt, Alecia Swejkoski, her son, and her niece, along with Sterling Heights resident Scott VanLuven.

They were credited for doing their part to stop the girl from being abducted into a vehicle after a man seized her while she was on a bike.

Police said the suspect tried to abduct the girl at around 2:20 p.m. Aug. 13 at Clinton River North Park and then drive off with her.

But Swejkoski reportedly reached through the vehicle’s open window to grab and hold onto the suspect’s steering wheel – despite the suspect allegedly trying to make her let go by moving the car around.

In addition, her son was hit by the car while trying to block its path, police said. He told the City Council that the car injured his right leg.

At one point, VanLuven, a member of the Police Department’s Citizens on Patrol volunteer group, reportedly witnessed what was going on. He positioned his truck to block the suspect vehicle, got the suspect out of his vehicle and kept him there until police could make the arrest.

The same suspect is also accused of trying to abduct a teen girl in Clinton Township earlier that day, but the teen and a bystander reportedly thwarted that effort too.

During the Sept. 17 meeting, VanLuven and Swejkoski received plaques, and the children received medals. Sterling Heights police Chief Dale Dwojakowski congratulated the honorees and added that Swejkoski was on in-line skates during the rescue.

“She’s on Rollerblades, she’s running at the car and then jumps through the window and then beats this guy to a pulp and is screaming for (the girl) to run out of the car,” the chief said. “So it’s, yes, it’s awesome.”

In brief remarks, Swejkoski said she is grateful for Citizens on Patrol. VanLuven also briefly addressed the council.

“I’m just glad I was there at the right time, glad everybody’s OK,” he said. “I thank everybody for supporting this volunteer unit that we’re a part of and hope it keeps going on, and I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.”

Councilwoman Barbara Ziarko called the situation “an example of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”

“The other thing is, I always say that, don’t mess with a mom and her kid,” Ziarko said. “And in this case, it was, don’t mess with an aunt and her niece.”

Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor called the event a particularly special Nice Neighbor Award presentation during his 15 years on the City Council. Taylor called VanLuven a “humble hero” and said “he deserves recognition, as much as he doesn’t want it.”

Taylor also praised Swejkoski for protecting the kids and called the abduction situation the worst nightmare for any parent, one he doesn’t want to see happen anywhere.

“I’ve thought about this a lot: Is it just a coincidence that Scott was there? Is it divine intervention that Scott was there? Is it that we’ve got dedicated volunteers, and if it wasn’t Scott there, it would have been somebody else?” Taylor said.

“I tend to think it’s the latter – that we just have good people in this community that look out for each other.”

Learn more about Sterling Heights by visiting sterlingheights.gov or by calling (586) 446-2489.