California teenager reunites with hero postal carrier who 'saved' her from sex trafficking

'What Ivan did was wonderful, he stepped up where a lot of people would have just continued driving down the road,' a sheriff's deputy said.

A California teen has reunited with a “hero” postal carrier who she said rescued her from sex trafficking.

Crystal Allen,16, claimed she was “kidnapped and held captive” and trapped in a world of sex trafficking where she was subjected to abuse in Sacramento in an interview with CBS. She credited postal carrier Ivan Crisostomo for ensuring her safety after hearing the teen’s “desperate crying” on his mail route last month.

“I hear this crying, this desperate crying,“ he said. ”I saw her hiding behind this kind of bush, kind of tree."

Mr Crisostomo said he found Ms Allen sobbing behind a tree, in distress, when she told him she feared people would be “coming to get” her. Ms Allen told Fox News she had allegedly escaped from her captors by jumping out of a car prior to Mr Crisostomo finding her. She said she also managed to grab a cell phone owned by one of her captors on her way out.

“Don’t worry, nobody’s going to take you, I’m here for you,” Mr Crisostomo said he told the teenager.

Ms Allen’s mother, Stacy Ohman, said Mr Crisostomo helped the 16-year-old call home to her family. He then stayed with Ms Allen until police officers arrived.

“Until she handed the phone to Ivan and we spoke with him, we had no idea what was going on,” Ms Ohman said. “We had no idea where she was or anything.”

The Independent has reached out to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and the Sacramento's police department for information on any investigations into this particular alleged sex trafficking matter and has not immediately heard back.

Ms Allen recently reunited with Mr Crisostomo to express gratitude for his actions.

“Ivan himself is a hero for saving me,” she said. “Even if he doesn’t think it.”

Latoya Buford, of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, told CBS that the area Mr Crisostomo found Ms Allen is a “notoriously high-crime area”.

“What Ivan did was wonderful, he stepped up where a lot of people would have just continued driving down the road and he made a huge positive impact in this young girl’s life,” added David Cuneo of the city’s sheriff’s department.

“I don’t see myself as a hero,” Mr Crisostomo said. “I see myself as a person who – I really want to help.”