A brave Florida teen had an inspiring message for women everywhere after she fought off an attempted kidnapper, saying, “You can fight back,” after she was able to fight off a man who walked into her workplace, stole armfuls of merchandise, and attempted to take her away with him in a stolen vehicle.
For background, on July 17, 2025, 18-year-old Emma Marine recounted to reporters how she had narrowly escaped an attempted kidnapping by a man named Theodore Tundidor on June 29. Marine, who encountered Tundidor at her workplace, a St. Augustine, Florida, vape shop, said that she had made it through the horrific incident by bravely fighting back.
Marine explained in an interview with NBC News that Tundidor had come into the vape shop “an hour and a half before the incident,” going on to say, “He just used the bathroom and left.” Marine explained that Tundidor then returned and “was only in there like two minutes.” The 18-year-old clarified that he “came out, looked around a minute and then he went behind the counter and just started grabbing stuff and throwing it around and started putting stuff in his pockets.”
Then, when Marine tried to stop Tundidor from leaving with stolen items, he replied, “What are you going to do about it?” She explained, “I sort of froze up a little bit. And then he just pushed me out of the door and put me in a chokehold and dragged me out to the truck and tried shoving me in.” She added, “I just kept fighting back and screaming.”
Furthermore, Marine said that she was able to break free because she followed advice she had received from her parents, who, she explained, “had always taught me that whenever you’re in any sort of danger, you always fight back.” She continued, “I hope this can show other women and young females like myself that you can fight back, that it doesn’t matter how small you are.”
Sadly, the St. Johns Citizen reported that Marine had been fired from her job at the St. Augustine vape shop following the harrowing kidnapping attempt. Marine told the outlet, “I’m still trying to recover from it,” adding, “Obviously, it was pretty traumatic. Latel,y I’ve been trying to focus on myself and get back to work.”
Moreover, in response to the incident, Lt. Jessica Hines of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s office praised Emma for her bravery and quick thinking, saying, “The suspects know that there’s a ticking time clock in their brains. They know people are calling. Law enforcement is going to be coming at some point.”
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In addition, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Tundidor was later located and arrested after an attempted traffic stop for reckless driving. Moreover, the police verified that Tundidor was driving a stolen vehicle, which he had attempted to force Marine into.
Watch Emma’s response to the kidnapping attempt:
Featured image credit: video screengrab