NEWS

A 19-year-old man from Santa Ana was arrested in east Bakersfield, CA after allegedly kidnapping a 14-year-old girl he met on Fortnite. The girl had been missing since June 9, 2025, and was found walking with the suspect near an apartment complex. She was safely reunited with her family, and the suspect, Sergio Estrada, was arrested for kidnapping, with further charges pending.

According to investigators, Estrada had been communicating with the teen online for two years. Authorities believe they may have planned to travel to Santa Ana before being located.

Jay Houston, Director of Training at Child Rescue Coalition, urged parents to stay involved:
“All those apps have their own parental controls. Use those now, once you set up those parental controls, always, one term I use is trust, but verify. After you set up those parental controls, go back in a month, a week two months later and make sure they haven’t been disabled.”

“Do a safety checkup with your children. It’s okay. It’s okay to do this, you have to. You need to review all messages that are sent and received, and honestly, if the tone of the conversation reads as though some messages were deleted. You might want to ask them about that,” he said.

This is not an isolated case. Just two months prior, a 29-year-old man was arrested in Kern County for kidnapping a 10-year-old girl he met on Roblox.

Predators are targeting kids where they play and connect. Join CRC in the fight to keep children safe by involving yourself in our mission!