SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— A Lackawanna County man is facing charges accused of kidnapping a pre-teen girl after a childhood prank where they knocked on his door and ran away.
It happened last week and police say she was held at gunpoint before finally escaping.
Police say a group of kids were playing "Ding-dong-ditch," in a Scranton neighborhood when one of the doors they knocked on turned terrifying.
Police say one of the kids was kidnapped and held at gunpoint, before she finally got free.
A knock at the door could mean many things.
Last week, in this Scranton neighborhood it was a "funny game," that quickly turned terrifying.
Police say a 12 year-old girl was with four of her friends when they were "ding-dong-ditching" this home at 423 14th avenue in Scranton.
According to police, the home owner Rob Ulrich came outside, grabbed the girl, and put a black handgun to her head as she was trying to run away.
"I would feel absolute fear and terror like what's happening, what just happened," said neighbor Jesus Fernandez.
Jesus Fernandez lives nearby.
He says he was home the night it happened on March 7 at around 10:30 p.m., and saw the heavy police presence that stormed his neighborhood.
According to the police affidavit, Ulrich and his two sons Daniel and Josh were all home at the time.
"I didn't realize I was living up the street from someone who would even do that," stated Fernandez.
The young girl told police one of the men asked her "If she wanted to die," and "All these kids wants a bullet in their heads."
She also said one of the men told her he was from Canada.
Ulrich told police the young girl told him it was her two friends who knocked at his door not her.
That's when Ulrich's two sons walked with her here to the West Scranton Middle School just a street over to find them.
They didn't, and that's when she escaped.
"It sounds very relieving that she was even able to get away," voiced Fernandez.
Fernandez is also 12 years-old and says he's played "Ding-dong-ditch" before too.
"Well it went okay, but I really didn't want to do it again," said Fernandez.
And that is still the case after he heard of what happened to this group of children.
He's happy to hear no one got physically hurt in this game, but feels it shouldn't have escalated to this point.
"All you need to tell her was to buzz off, not to immediately grab a weapon," said Fernandez.
Ulrich was charged with kidnapping of a minor, unlawful restraint of a minor, simple assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and harassment.
