An 8-year-old girl is being hailed for her courage after she managed to escape from a man’s home in North Philadelphia, where police say she was lured and locked inside before a tense barricade standoff unfolded.
The girl, identified as third-grader Phage Merricks, recounted to NBC 10 how a man pulled her into his house near 20th Street and Widener Place.
“Yes, like this,” Phage said, demonstrating how the man used both hands to drag her inside. “I was like, ‘Help, help,’ but nobody didn’t hear me.”
Once inside, she says, the man locked the door and told her to go upstairs.
“I didn’t want to,” she said. “Yeah, no.”
Bruises and Fear, But a Daring Escape
Phage showed reporters a scratch and bruise on her arm, injuries she says happened while the man was grabbing her. Despite being terrified, she found the strength to free herself.
“I unlocked the door … and then I just got out,” she explained.
Her mother, Nijah Bullock, believes the neighbor had sinister intentions. “Yes, I do. I wholeheartedly do,” she told NBC 10 when asked if she thought the man intended to harm her daughter.
Confrontation Turns Violent
Bullock said the man attempted to lure her daughter back into the home a second time. Furious, she confronted him directly, using pepper spray before calling 911.
The situation escalated when the man allegedly fired shots and barricaded himself inside. Police rushed to the scene and eventually took him into custody.
Community Shock and Relief
The ordeal has left neighbors shaken but grateful for the young girl’s bravery and quick thinking. Police have not yet released the suspect’s name or charges but confirmed an investigation is ongoing.
For Phage and her family, the focus is now on healing.
“Your mom told me you were really, really brave,” a reporter said during their interview.
And indeed, her courage not only helped her escape but may have prevented a far worse outcome.
