Bystanders thwart Michigan man's attempt to kidnap girls in two separate incidents, authorities say

Two passersby in Michigan helped two girls escape when a The man attempted to force her into his car in two separate kidnappings in broad daylight, authorities said.

According to authorities, the incidents occurred just an hour apart on Tuesday afternoon. In both cases, a passerby intervened and thwarted the alleged kidnapping attempts.

Endi Bala, 23, first attempted to kidnap a 15-year-old girl around 1:30 p.m. as she walked along Clinton River Road in Clinton Township, the Macomb County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Bala, who is from Shelby County, allegedly grabbed the girl by the head and neck and dragged her into his car through the rear driver's door, the Clinton Township Police Department said in a separate statement. A bystander who lives in Clinton Township and witnessed the incident “physically intervened,” police said.

The passerby, Paul Billeter, said he was gardening when he saw a car pull up next to the girl and heard a man ask her if she wanted a ride. Then, Billeter said, the man grabbed the girl “like a sack of potatoes” and pulled her to the side of his car.

“I ran toward the car because something was obviously wrong,” Billeter said, adding that he then grabbed the man by the neck as he tried to drag the girl into the car.

Billeter's intervention gave the girl enough time to escape. Police said she then alerted others nearby, who called 911.

The suspect fled the scene in his white sedan, police said.

After Billeter reported the incident to police, he thought the matter was over. But about 45 minutes later, he said, a police officer returned and told him that Sterling Heights Police officers had arrested Bala for attempting to kidnap another girl.

“I never thought he would go out on the street and try again,” Billeter said, saying the idea made him “sick.”

At around 2:30 p.m., Bala allegedly approached a 7-year-old girl near the entrance to Clinton River Park North in Sterling Heights. Authorities said Bala pulled the girl off her bike and dragged her into his car before attempting to drive away.

The girl’s aunt, Alecia Swejkosk, said she “knew exactly what he was doing” when Bala pulled his car up next to her niece.

She said she immediately started screaming at her niece to run away when she saw Bala walk around his car and drag the girl off her bike.

Swejkoski said she and Bala both ran toward the car, where Bala attempted to push the girl from the driver's seat into the passenger side. Swejkoski said she “flew” through the driver's side window and hit Bala “in the middle,” where they both “were thrown around [the girl’s] Life.”

Bala then began driving the car back and forth to try to shake Swejkoski loose and prevent the girl from escaping, she said.

A driver of another car then blocked Bala's vehicle so he couldn't drive away, Swejkoski said, allowing the girl to open a door and run away.

Swejkoski called it “the craziest moment of our lives” and said it happened “in very slow motion, but very fast at the same time.” As it happened, Swejkoski had “every single worst thought ever” running through his head.

Coryne Childers, the girl's mother, said her daughter is “doing fine” but “she will never be the same again.” Childers warned parents: “Be careful; don't let your children go anywhere without someone watching them.”

Bala was charged with kidnapping, reckless driving and assault in connection with the Sterling Heights incident, prosecutors said. He was charged with attempted false imprisonment and assault in connection with the Clinton Township incident.

He was brought to court on Thursday for both incidents.

A court-appointed attorney was appointed Thursday in connection with the Sterling Heights case. An attorney for Bala in the Clinton Township case did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment Saturday evening.

Bala's bail was set at $2 million cash/surety only on the Clinton Township charges. He was denied bail at the next arraignment, which was related to the Sterling Heights incident, and was remanded to the Macomb County Jail.

According to prosecutors, Bala was ordered by a Clinton Township District Court judge to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. According to court documents, Bala received a request for hospitalization for mental illness in April 2023, but it was denied and he was released three days later.

A prosecution hearing is scheduled for August 27 in the Clinton Township case and another for August 28 in the Sterling Heights case.