Colorado Man Who Tried to Abduct a 10-Year-Old Girl From School Turned in by Parents

A Colorado man has been taken into custody after his parents turned him in for allegedly attempting to abduct a 10-year-old girl from outside her school.

According to People, the parents of 28-year-old Diego James Gettler went to the police and reported that they recognized him and his vehicle in the surveillance photos. Authorities learned about the incident when they were called to the STEM Launch School in Thornton at around 7:30 a.m. on September 23.

The girl reportedly told the police that a man approached her while sitting on some nearby school steps and asked her if she attended the school. She noted that she sat there after her mom dropped her off at school that morning.

The girl said the man walked behind her and up the stairs but then turned around and walked back towards her. An arrest affidavit noted that the male grabbed her at that point, wherein the victim described it as him wrapping his hands and arms around her waist from behind.

The girl started fighting off and was able to pull down a mask he wore, prompting the suspect to run.

Colorado Man Arrested

Sacramento Bee reported that officers arrested Diego James Gettler on Monday on an attempted kidnapping charge. The Colorado man's parents identified him to police from the photos after Thornton police released numerous security photos of the hooded suspect.

There were also security photos that captured his vehicle near the school. Gettler was seen wearing a black sweatshirt with "three blue and orange Adidas symbols on the back of the hooded sweatshirt."

He also wore black pants and gloves. The vehicle was shown to have damage to its driver's side. His parents confirmed that Gettler drives a gray Saturn Aura, which has damage on the driver's side due to a previous car accident.

The Colorado man's parents also confirmed that their son had to get in by the vehicle's passenger side.

Girl Escaping Attempted Abduction of Colorado Man

The girl started to scream when Diego James Gettler tried to abduct her. The suspect had placed his hand over her mouth. Professor of criminology and criminal justice at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, Dr. Denise Mowder, said abductors do not expect it when their victims start struggling.

Mowder noted that when the girl pulled down his mask, he did not expect that, 9News reported. The victim said there were no other students, staff, or faculty in the area at the time. She added that she ran and banged on the windows until school staff opened the doors for her.

Mowder noted that it is important that kids know how they can fight back against an attacker. The security footage showed that the suspect seemed to be "thrashing backward" at one point in an attempt to control the 10-year-old girl.

Gettler has been booked into the Adams County jail and scheduled for a hearing on October 5. He was charged with second-degree kidnapping.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Diego Gettler Charged With Kidnapping in Incident at STEM Launch in Thornton - From CBS Colorado