A University of Virginia professor helped foil a kidnapping outside his home in Charlottesville this week.

Robert Emery, a psychology professor, told WCAV he and his family were getting ready for bed Wednesday night when they heard what sounded like a domestic dispute outside their home near the UVa campus.

Emery told his wife to call 911 and ran outside to investigate.

“A man appeared from behind a truck, told me I was interfering and was clearly in a panic, and then immediately jumped into the truck and drove down the street as fast as he could,” Emery said.

The man crashed at the end of the street and took off running. Emery, his wife, his daughter, and her boyfriend arrived on the scene and found the victim, a UVa student, behind a car. She had duct tape on her wrists.

“She was clearly traumatized, physically and emotionally,” said Emery. “My daughter eventually went with her in the ambulance and was with her at the hospital.”

Police said that they tracked down the suspect the suspect the next day and identified him as James Allen, and charged him with strangulation or suffocation and abduction. The victim fought back while in Allen’s vehicle, resulting in the crash.

Allen was ordered held without bond on Friday and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. He’s due back in court on December 14.

Emery said he didn’t think twice about helping.

“I have three daughters, have a granddaughter, have a wife,” he said. “I have 10,000 women at UVA I consider to be my family.”

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[Featured image: James Allen/Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office]