PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

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SLCPD Officers Arrest Man Accused of Trying to Kidnap 12-Year-Old in Sugar House

SALT LAKE CITY — Officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department, in coordination with the department’s Special Victims Unit (SVU), have arrested a 29-year-old man who is accused of trying to kidnap a 12-year-old girl in the Sugar House neighborhood.

This investigation started at 10:45 p.m. on Friday, July 19, 2024, when SLC911 received information about a suspicious circumstance near the Interstate 80 (I-80) overpass and 700 East involving a man who grabbed the 12-year-old by the wrist and began pulling her.

Both the 12-year-old and her friend fought back, managed to break the man’s grip, and waved down a community member for help.

Detectives are trying to identify the community member who helped the girls. Detectives believe that person may have critical information to this case. That person is asked to contact police by calling 801-799-3000.

Officers began searching the area for the suspect and later found 29-year-old Mason Andrew Musser nearby and arrested him.

Detectives with the SLCPD’s SVU responded to investigate.

Musser is currently in the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on a charge of attempted child kidnapping.

No further information about this case is available for release.

Violent crime of this nature is very rare in Salt Lake City.

It’s important for parents and guardians to have age-appropriate conversations with their children about safety, including what to do if approached by strangers and how to respond in potential dangerous or unwanted situations.

Simple tips include teaching children to stay in groups, identifying trusted adults they can approach if they feel unsafe, and practicing what to say and do if a stranger tries to take them.

The Salt Lake City Police Department recognizes the bravery of the two minors involved in this incident. This was a traumatic experience, and the department, through its victim services program, will help provide support and advocacy to help those affected.

Charges are only allegations, and every arrested person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Salt Lake City Police Department is not the custodian of record for jail booking photos. Utah Code 17-22-30 mostly prohibits the release of jail booking photos. Generally, a jail booking photo can only be released by the custodian of record after a conviction or when law enforcement determines the person is a fugitive or an imminent threat to a person or public safety. In Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of record for jail booking photos.

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