The suspect accused of kidnapping a 7-year-old girl and throwing her off a bridge had attended a party at her grandparents’ house hours before he allegedly snatched the little girl from her sleep.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Joshua Hubert, 35, was arrested on kidnapping charges after he allegedly took the girl from her grandparents’ home in Worcester, Massachusetts, early Sunday morning, put her in his car, choked her, and drove her to a bridge before tossing her in the water.
The little girl survived the ordeal and swam to shore. Less than two hours after Hubert allegedly threw her in the water, she reportedly knocked on the door of a home in Shrewsbury while in soaking wet pajamas. The girl had visible injuries but is expected to recover.
“Fortunately, a greater tragedy was averted,” Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said in a press statement.
“The young victim had the strength to make it to shore and get help. I want to thank the resident who answered the door and helped the girl.”
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,, Hubert was a guest at a cookout the girl’s grandparents hosted on Saturday. It is unclear if Hubert was still at the home when he snatched the sleeping girl at 2:30 a.m. Sunday and drove with the girl for an hour, allegedly choking her at one point during the ride. The Washington Post reports that the girl, who has not been identified, has visible bruising on her neck when police arrived.
Hubert has reportedly been suspended from his job at an elite private school in Massachusetts. According to MassLive, Hubert was hired as systems support analyst just last month, and passed multiple background and reference checks. A school administrator sent a letter to families of students at the school, explaining that alleged abduction had no connection to the school. The school said that Hubert did not have any unsupervised interactions with students during the brief time he was employed there.
Hubert has reportedly pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping charges. A motive for the alleged crime is not yet known.
Feature photo: Pixabay
