Little Girl Left Alone With a Stranger

Feb. 17, 2009— -- Playgrounds are meant to be fun, safe havens where parents keep a watchful eye on their children.

But what if a stranger is lurking, someone who clearly doesn't belong? And what if that stranger approaches a child whose guardian may have momentarily stepped away?

It is a fear every parents has -- that someone will come along and lure their child away. In fact, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said even though children are warned of the danger, seven out of 10 will walk off with a stranger.

That's exactly what happened to 11-year-old Carlie Bruscia from Florida. In 2004, Bruscia was walking home when she was abducted near a car wash. The incident was caught on surveillance tape.

Ernie Allen, the president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said that was the last time she was seen. "What was so terrifying was watching that tape and seeing how easy it was and how quickly it happened," he said. Days after the abduction, police found Bruscia's body.

So we wondered, what would people do if they saw a child who appeared to be alone in a playground, approached by a stranger? Would they confront the predator? Call the police? Or simply let the child walk off?

We rigged a park in suburban New Jersey with hidden cameras and hired an actor, Kevin, to portray our suspicious character. The little girl, Katie, was also an actor hired by "What Would You Do?"

In our first scene, Katie's nanny, who was also an actor in this scenario, walked off to use the restroom. Kevin approached Katie by the swings and it took very little time for Deanna Schneider, a mother of two, to notice. She immediately honed in on the conversation as Kevin began to compliment Katie.

"I like your pigtails," he said.

He asked Katie to help him find his lost dog.

Schneider listened intently for a few minutes and then approached Kevin. "Excuse me, can you leave her alone? Her mom's not here, she shouldn't be talking to strangers," she said.