Shomrim of Baltimore Helps Rescue Woman, Children Locked in Calif. Storage Unit
Representatives of the neighborhood watch group doesn't know how the Spanish-speaking woman got the number for the mostly Orthodox Jewish group's emergency hotline—thousands of miles away.
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It was 12:01 a.m. Tuesday when Shomrim of Baltimore neighborhood watch group received a call from a frantic woman, who was locked with two children in a storage unit—far away in San Francisco.
"We don't know how she got our number," said Ron Rosenbluth, Shomrim vice president, noting that she may have misdialed one number when calling for help, and ended up getting Shomrim's hotline number: 410-358-9999.
But, the group that patrols the neighborhoods and helps find missing people in the northwest Baltimore, Upper Park Heights, Pikesville and Greenspring areas, helped coordinate the search effort from thousands of miles away.
They contacted the San Francisco Police Department, spoke with the mostly Spanish-speaking woman to get information on where she might be, and helped police locate and rescue her, according to Ron Rosenbluth, vice president.
The fact that the volunteer manning the hotline actually stayed with the woman and helped her, rather than deferring her to 911 shows the members' dedication, Rosenbluth said.
"That's what our guys do. They go to the extreme to help," he said.
And that they were able to perform this mitzvah during Chanukah holds special meaning for Shomrim members, he added.
A representative of the San Francisco Police Department said he did not have enough information to locate details of the incident.
William Metzner, Sr.
9:46 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Good news for a change!
Jackie
10:02 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
This is the kind of news I prefer coming from and about Shomim.
Michael A.
11:53 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Wish it was true... No one is San Francisco can confirm such a story happened. And this business of not calling 911 is the same all the time - they NEVER call 911.
Michael A.
11:56 am on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
And this business of the groups reputation spreading to the West Coast... they need to fix their very poor reputation here in Baltimore before spreading anywhere else. They are, unfortunately, not looked upon very well by most people here.
Aria N.
1:05 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The area code for Oakland is 510 and the area code for San Francisco is 415. It would be very easy to dial 410 if you were in a panic. I don't think you should take this as any more than a mistake.
Shifrah
1:24 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Armed with the name of the storage facility but unsure of it’s exact location, San Francisco police dispatched officers to two Extra Space Storage facilities in the area.
“Officers responded and found a female with her children locked in her storage unit at Extra Space Storage at 2501 Cesar Chavez Street at 9:33 PM San Francisco time,” reported Officer Albie Esparza, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department. “The code for her unit, which was located on the bottom floor of the facility, was not working and our officers were able to free her and her children at 9:40 PM.”
Shifrah
1:24 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
http://www.vosizneias.com/119248/2012/12/12/maryland-baltimore-shomrim-patrol-pulls-off-cross-country-rescue
MarkSindone
2:02 am on Wednesday, April 17, 2013
I wonder how the woman could have misdialed the neighbourhood watch group’s hotline. It is obviously more complicated than the 911 hotline. Perhaps it was on speed dial? Nonetheless, it is definitely beyond the call of duty for the members to continue helping the woman. Hopefully after this incident, the woman and her two children will be more careful about getting locked in a storage unit. I can imagine that can be quite alarming. http://storageinnerwest.blogspot.com/