16-Year-Old Girl Fought Off Man Who Allegedly Tried to Kidnap Her: ‘I Didn't Want Him to Do Anything to Me’

Mar. 15, 2025

Brian Gamboa, the man who allegedly attacked and tried to kidnap a Florida teen.Photo:Miami-Dade Corrections

Miami-Dade Corrections

A Florida teen fought for her life after a man allegedly attempted to abduct her. Now, she’s telling her story.

Gamboa, 32, a New York native living in South Miami, attempted to drag and force Valerie into his car, she recalled to WSVN. “He stopped and came out of the car, and he was drunk. Really wobbly,” she told the Fox affiliate. “He just screamed, ‘Shush,’ and he went for my arm.”

“I threw my phone at him,” Valerie told CBS News Miami. “I started kicking him, I started screaming and stuff. And then I started punching him."

The attack escalated quickly, however, when Gamboa allegedly pushed Valerie onto the ground, and she “dragged him down with me,” she recalled to the outlet. “Then I kicked him in the crotch [and] in the head and then I ran off.”

As Valerie ran for help, screaming at a neighbor’s door, Gamboa fled the scene, CBS News Miami reported.

The teen, Valerie, who fought back and escaped her attacker in Miami.CBS Miami/YouTube

CBS Miami/YouTube

The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Feb. 22.

Gamboa appeared to sustain injuries in the altercation and following crash, as visible cuts can be seen on his forehead in his mugshot. The Miami teen, meanwhile, escaped with just a knee injury, which she showed on camera while speaking with WSVN.

“I pushed him off with this leg,” she told the outlet, “so I can’t bend this knee right now.”

Brian Gamboa.Miami-Dade Corrections

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Beyond her physical reminders of the attack, however, Valerie said she is struggling to move on from the frightening altercation.

“It was really scary. I’m okay, except the fact that my knee is messed up,” she told WSVN. “I got pretty lucky, like, it could have been way worse for me. I didn’t want to have a story like that. I didn’t want to have his impact on my life like that, so I was just fighting.”

The teen is now “trying to get over it,” she told CBS News Miami.

“Hopefully, he goes to jail for a very long time. I don’t think this man should ever be on the street again,” she added to the outlet, before sharing the message she wants others to take away from the situation.

“Always fight back,” Valerie urged, “no matter how scary the situation is, and always scream for help."

He posted his $30,000 bond on Feb. 20, but will not be released from custody until he is fitted with an ankle monitor.

source: people.com