Brandie, Maddie, and Mollie Weiler were riding in their family car in Virginia when they witnessed something terrible. They saw a car crash before them. Quick to help, mom Brandie jumped out of the car, leaving 12-year-old Brandie and 7-year-old Mollie in the car.

The situation was chaotic enough. While Brandie called 9-1-1, the situation became even worse.

A man approached their car. He managed to unlock the door and climb in with Maddie and Mollie. Brandie was on the phone with emergency services and away from the car.

Terrified, the young girls weren’t sure what to do. But Maddie’s quick acting saved both her and her sister.

Under already tragic circumstances, Maddie was forced to think on her feet. Everything was happening so fast. A man had forced his way into their car.

Maddie did anything she could think of—she screamed for help. She punched and kicked the man. She slid the car into drive so he couldn’t turn the car on and drive away. She prevented him from kidnapping them.

“I just went for it,” Maddie stated in an interview after the ordeal was over.

Meanwhile, Brandie was screaming for her kids to get out of the car. Mollie managed to escape while Maddie was attacking the man.

Maddie didn’t at first realized that Mollie had climbed out of the car. Eventually she was also able to get safely away from the man.

Williamsburg police arrived on the scene and identified the attacker as Paul Salsman. The Weiler’s car was not the first he tried to steal—apparently he had tried his luck with two other cars before the family arrived on the scene of the crash.

He was arrested and charged with carjacking, driving under the influence, and a hit and run.

Thanks to Maddie, her and her sister fled the situation unscathed. Now people are calling her a hero, a title she certainly deserves after what she’s been through.

Not many 12-year-olds can take on a grown adult and walk away. She truly did something miraculous that day.

Watch the video below to see interviews with Maddie and Brandie.

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