Heroic Teen Saves Girl From Predator in Target While Mom’s in the Bathroom

Seventeen-year-old Cameron Cook was shopping with his mom in a Boston Target when he saw a man with what he described as a “demonic look on his face” approach a young girl who didn’t seem to know him.

His mother, Heather, urged Cameron to keep walking by, but his gut instinct simply wouldn’t allow it.

“I seen the guy grabbing himself, and my mom goes, ‘Cam let’s go, keep walking.’ I was like, no, something’s going on,” said Cameron.

Without hesitation, the brave teen came up to the stranger and asked if he knew the little girl.

“Excuse me sir, do you know her?” he asked politely.

Startled, the man replied, “I’m not a pervert, I’m not a pervert.”

“I was like, ‘I didn’t ask you that sir,’” said Cameron.

Once Heather caught wind of the potent smell of alcohol on the man’s breath, she too realized something was dead wrong.

“I was close enough that I could smell the liquor coming from his mouth,” said Heather. “It was horrible.”

“He was big, and Cameron had no fear at all,” she added. “He just stood firm on the fact that he knew what this man was doing was wrong.”

Her courageous son relentlessly questioned the man until he fled from the store, and video cameras were immediately handed over to police. It turns out, the girl’s mom was in the bathroom while the whole scenario panned out, and she’s exceedingly grateful that Cameron was there to look out for her daughter. If Cameron didn’t follow his intuition, she may not be here today.

“I’m very proud of him, but it’s totally within his character. He is not afraid to do what’s right,” said Heather of her son’s heroic act. But Cameron isn’t seeking praise for his good deed; he’s just glad he was able to help in a time of need.

“I’m just happy I was there to protect her,” he said. “Because you never know what could have went on.”

See more from Cameron’s inspiring story in the CBS news interview below: