A Pennsylvania man allegedly used TikTok to lure a 13-year-old girl across the state and imprison her in his apartment, where he sexually assaulted her — and she was so terrified for her life that she attempted to leave traces of her DNA behind.
Angel Lopez, 19, appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, after being arrested in March on charges of kidnapping, trafficking, and sexual assault.
According to Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, Lopez began communicating with the 13-year-old girl on TikTok for only a few days before allegedly persuading her to leave her parents’ home in an Uber he paid for.
When she got to his apartment, he allegedly sexually assaulted her. When she told Lopez she wanted to leave, she told police that he said, “They won’t be able to find you anyway.”
According to the DA, Lopez instructed the girl to write a note to her family stating that she was “running away from home” and that they should “not look for her.”
After exchanging 1,862 printed pages of text messages with the girl on TikTok in just four days, he allegedly ordered and paid for an Uber to transport her from her home in Greenberg, Pennsylvania, to his Philadelphia apartment.
According to the district attorney, her family reported her missing on March 14. Police tracked her phone to a location near Lopez’s apartment.
When she arrived, she was instructed to turn off her phone. Greenburg Police Det. Sgt. Justin Scalzo told a press conference covered by WTAE, a local ABC affiliate, that Lopez “did not want her to take any electronic devices with her to Philly.” And then one text message read, ‘I want you to leave no trace behind.'”
Once inside Lopez’s home, the DA claimed that he “offered her drugs” before sexually assaulting her. He then allegedly told her to take a shower to remove any traces of his DNA.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by WTAE, the girl told officers that she felt “weird” throughout her alleged encounter with Lopez. She reportedly told police that when she told Lopez she wanted to leave, he replied, “They won’t be able to find you anyway.”
Scalzo commented, “That was concerning. And that prompted the victim in this case to pull out strands of her hair and try to scatter them around the apartment, saying later that if no one found her, they might be able to find her DNA.”
According to the DA, the girl was able to escape the apartment after hearing someone in the outside hallway. Police tracked her down after she left Lopez’s apartment and transported her to a nearby station, where she was later picked up by a relative. She is now back home and safe.
Lopez is now facing numerous felony charges, including kidnapping, trafficking, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16, unlawful contact with a minor, interference with child custody, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault of a child, sexual abuse of a child, minor corruption, and criminal use of a communication facility.
He is still in custody at Westmoreland County Prison. His next court date is May 14.
