A six-year-old New Mexico girl is safe after her neighbor thwarted an attempted kidnapping. Police say he may have saved her life.

Antonio Diaz Chacon says that he knew something was wrong when he heard his neighbors screaming.

"I asked the neighbor what was going on and he said this guy's taking this little girl and it's not even his."

A little girl walking back to her house was snatched up by a complete stranger.

The predator got out of his car, put one hand over her mouth and grabbed her by the body.

Police say that the child resisted her attacker.

When Chacon heard the scuffle, he immediately jumped into his car and chased the suspect.

At an intersection, the man crashed into a light pole and ran away and he rescued the little girl.

"She had injuries, She was bruised, banged up. Her shirt was ripped," said Sgt. Trish Hoffman, the spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department.

"Probably would have tried to go down a normal road and taken her somewhere. Could have sexually assaulted her and could have hurt or actually killed her," she explained.

"He probably saved her life," Sgt. Hoffman said.

The girl was reunited with her family who say that they are thankful.

"He feels very lucky and thanks God a lot, and especially that man. He's just really happy that he got my sister back," Marcos Vega, the child's brother told a reporter about their father and Chacon.

"I just feel normal. It's the right thing to do. I think anybody would have done it," Chacon said.

Phillip Garcia, the man suspected in abducting the girl is behind bars. He was serving probation for a battery conviction last year.