How to survive getting kidnapped and locked in a trunk

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – The story of a 25-year-old woman who escaped a nightmare situation after she was kidnapped, locked in her own trunk, driven around by her kidnapper, and forced to withdraw money from ATM’s is shocking Birmingham, Alabama.

Fortunately, the woman survived with few injuries, but her story is making some people take a second look at their own trunks.

Keith Czeskleba with the Hoover Police Department says there are steps you can take if you find yourself in that situation. Every vehicle made after 2001 should have a release valve in the trunk of the car: a button or a valve, illuminated yellow or green.

“It’s supposed to be illuminated in the dark, so look for that release,” Czeskleba said. “If you feel the vehicle becoming stationary and believe it’s the best time for you to make a break for it, pull that release and do what you can to get away.”

However, that’s the worst case scenario. Police say there are steps you can take to try to prevent an abduction from happening.

“Try to wait around to find somebody else walking out in the parking lot the same time you are,” Czeskleba said. “That way, even though you’re not necessarily with that person, it presents the image that you are or that there’s multiple people coming and going.”

The search for the kidnapper is ongoing.

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