A 63-year-old woman says she was just seconds away from being abducted outside a Dollar Tree at Montgomery Plaza in Fort Worth.
Police arrested Johntay Burgess and charged him with attempted kidnapping, along with several other charges, including exposing himself and assaulting an officer. Investigators believe Burgess may have been involved in as many as two other attempted kidnappings last month.
Eloise Montanez had planned to spend the day with her daughter, Ana Cervantes, after getting off work last week. But when Montanez never called, Cervantes knew something was wrong.
“And that was not normal,” Cervantes said. “So I decided to give her a call.”
Cervantes said her mother answered and told her she was with detectives.
According to Cervantes, her mother had just finished locking up the store when she was attacked.
“She turns around, and somebody comes behind her,” Cervantes said, translating for her mother. “Covered her face, her mouth and wrapped his arm around her legs and tried to carry her.”
Montanez’s husband arrived to pick her up from work and saw the attack unfolding. He ran to help her, and the suspect fled when he saw him, according to the family.
“She was scared. She didn’t know what was going on,” Cervantes said.
Fort Worth police believe Burgess may also have been involved in up to two other attempted kidnappings last month, including one outside Salsa Limón the day before the attack on Montanez. Court documents show a Tarrant County grand jury indicted Burgess in connection with at least one of those cases.
Cervantes said she is grateful her mother is safe but wants accountability.
“How many more times does it have to happen?” Cervantes said.
As of the latest update, Burgess remained in jail. NBC DFW reached out to an attorney listed for Burgess and was waiting for a response.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.
