Family of woman abducted in Germantown offers thanks to "whole world"

Standing before a City Hall crowd, Carl Freeland glanced over at the detective who returned his daughter to her family three days after she had been violently abducted while walking in Germantown and offered thanks to "the whole world."

Earlier, Joe Chambers stood beside the police officer he had pulled from a burning car Saturday and gave a simple suggestion that others follow his example.

Heroes in two rescues that caught the nation's imagination were honored Thursday morning at a City Council meeting where applause for bravery drowned out the usual government business of bills and committee updates.

"This is a good day for Philadelphia," City Councilwoman Cindy Bass said. "We do good things in Philadelphia."

Making their first public appearance since the nurse's assistant was delivered from the hands of her abductor, the family of Carlesha Freeland-Gaither thanked the city, the police, and the bystander who alerted authorities to the violent crime on the 100 block of West Coulter Street moments after it happened.

Freeland-Gaither was rescued three days later in Jessup, Md.

She was found in the same Ford Taurus that her alleged captor, Delvin Barnes, 37, of Charles City, Va., used on Nov. 2 to pull her off the street. Barnes, who has a criminal record, was with her. He was indicted Thursday on federal kidnapping charges.

In an interview after the meeting, Freeland spoke briefly about his daughter's abduction.

He said she tried to make friends with Devlin so he wouldn't injure her, though at one point she tried to escape by hitting him with a hammer, to no avail.

Freeland said his daughter is "still distraught but doing OK."

"I know it's going to take a while, but we're just working on her getting herself back together so she can get back to regular life," he said.

He described bystander Dwayne Fletcher, who called police after witnessing the abduction, as his hero.

"If it wasn't for him, my daughter wouldn't be here at this moment," Freeland said in the interview.

Fletcher, in an interview outside Council chambers, recalled the night of the abduction and noted how an act of kindness on his part backfired. He had been walking behind Freeland-Gaither moments before she was snatched, but the street was dark and she kept glancing back at him nervously.

"I crossed the street and kinda sped up so she wouldn't have to worry," Fletcher said. "Now I wish I hadn't done that."

But what Fletcher did do - twice reporting what he had witnessed, and bringing her dropped cellphone to police - launched the rescue effort that brought her home.

Freeland-Gaither's grandfather Derek Alston told Council and the assembled crowd: "The police did a wonderful job. The citizens, who are criticized for not wanting to snitch, did a wonderful job. The bad people get all the press, and it's good to see we still have a lot of good citizens. And that good usually prevails over evil."

Chambers, 17, a senior at Ridley High School and a volunteer firefighter, was also honored Thursday. He said it wasn't his firefighter training but instinct that lead him to pull Officer Mark Kimsey from a burning car on Saturday in South Philadelphia.

"If someone needs to be helped, you should help them, don't stand and watch and videotape," Chambers said. "Just act."

Chambers stood beside Kimsey, who was on crutches from injuries related to the car crash, as Councilman Kenyatta Johnson officially commended Chambers' bravery, presenting him with a copy of the Council resolution.

The true recognition came when the roughly 150 people in the chambers rose to their feet to applaud the young man, who was also presented with Eagles and Phillies jerseys and a signed football.

Kimsey, 30, a married father, called the young man his hero. He was in a squad car, responding to a call around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, when a truck collided with his vehicle at 28th and Tasker Streets in Grays Ferry, setting fire to his car and trapping him inside. Chambers pulled him out of a window when the door would not open.

"He deserves that and a lot more than I can ever give him or repay him," Kimsey said. "I'm just thankful he acted and I can spend more time with my family."