Ohio Turnpike workers help save child during Amber Alert

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - An Ohio Turnpike toll collector’s quick thinking lead to the safe recovery of an abducted child.

Jamie Corey was working at the Eastgate Toll Plaza in Mahoning County on Sept. 18 when she received a “Be on the Look Out” alert from the Ohio Turnpike dispatch center.

Police in Gary, Ind. issued an Amber Alert after a 7-year-old boy was abducted.

The alert included descriptions of both the suspected vehicle and the people inside.

Corey noted the important details of the alert and then calculated the amount of time it would take that vehicle to reach the Eastgate Toll Plaza, which is located on I-76 south of Youngstown, near the border of Pennsylvania.

When the vehicle showed up in Corey’s toll lane, she verified the plate number and worked with assistant toll plaza supervisors Diane Libby and Michael Sandberg to delay the driver until law enforcement officers could arrive.

The driver was arrested on a felony warrant out of Maryland for child abuse.

The 7-year-old boy was found to be in good health and was reunited with his father, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

“Ms. Corey’s quick thinking undoubtedly saved the child from possible harm,” said Sgt. M.R. Abbey, of the OSHP Canfield Post. “She acted above and beyond her normal duties and showed that she is worthy of our gratitude and deserves recognition for her tremendous efforts.”