A Louisiana sanitation worker expressed gratitude towards God on Monday, saying God helped him save the 10-year-old girl who was abducted by a registered sex offender the previous day.
Dion Merrick, who works for Pelican Waste & Debris, explained in a Facebook Live video on Monday, which as of today has already garnered over 2.5 million views, that he was on his normal trash route when a suspicious car suddenly grabbed his attention.
"I was on my trash route ... I just seen this gray car parked in the field," Merrick said on the Facebook Live video. "There was a dude who had this little 10-year-old girl. I just saved that little girl's life bruh. Thank God bruh. They got him now. They saved that little girl thanks to two Pelican drivers man."
He also mentioned in the video that he was only doing what he should be doing as he has a little kid and told people to watch their children against predators. He then continued thanking God in the video.
"Thank God bruh, that's what I say, man. That Man is real. A lot of people don't believe in Him, but you [need] to start believing in Him cuz," he said.
The victim, Jalisa Lasalle, went missing on Sunday in the 400 block of Fulton Street in New Iberia. So the authorities had to issue an Amber Alert for the missing girl, noting that she was in grave danger after last being seen getting into a gray 2012 Nissan Altima, the Christian Headlines reported.
Micheal R. Sereal, the 33-year-old suspect from New Iberia, is known to be a registered child predator. He was previously convicted in 2006 for "carnal knowledge of a juvenile" and is also listed on the parish's "sex offender database" of New Iberia.
The report also noted that the child predator, Michael Sereal, was an acquaintance of one of the girl's family members.
Dion Merrick recalled in his Facebook live that "something" made him look at the field where the car is parked and then noticed that the parked vehicle, the victim (Laselle), and the suspect (Sereal), all matched the description in the Amber Alert.
"Something told me to just look. I said, 'What is that car doing ducked off in the field like that?'" Merrick recalled. He, together with his co-worker Brandon Antoine, immediately took action and prevented the suspect from driving away as they were sending a notice to the authorities.
"I was just doing my job and actually came across somebody that needed help. I'm teared up right now, for real," an emotional Merrick said. "I'd had never thought [to look]. ... Whoever little girl this is, you need to fall on your knees and tell God thank you. Thank you because it could have been worse."
"Cause I'm looking at the situation, if you look at them woods and stuff, anything could have went on," he continued.
Merick then encouraged everyone to notify the police whenever they "see something that's not right."
The CEO of Pelican Waste and Debris Roddie Matherne, praised both of the sanitation workers for their heroic actions in a statement he made on ABC News.
"We couldn't be prouder of Dion and Brandon," Matherne said. "In fact, all of our Pelican Waste team have been heroically working without fail during the pandemic quietly, professionally, and consistently serving the communities where we collect garbage and debris. They often respond in other ways while on the road. This was an exceptional thing that may very well have saved a little girl's [life]."
