Phoenix police said they have arrested a man who tried to kidnap a 13-year-old girl from her bedroom.
Hernan De Jesus Mendez has been charged with child molestation, burglary and kidnapping.
Police said Mendez put a mask over his face and broke into the home of a family friend near 32nd Street and Greenway Road.
Once inside, officials say, Mendez touched the 13-year-old inappropriately and lifted her out of her bed.
"I hear her screaming, ‘Somebody's in my room! Somebody's in my room!’" said the victim’s sister-in-law, who asked not to be identified.
That's when the rest of the family woke up, called 911 and chased Mendez from the house.
Responding officers spotted Mendez's vehicle and pulled him over. He is currently in Maricopa County Jail.
Sources said evidence of the crime was found inside of Mendez's vehicle.
The victim’s sister-in-law said the suspect is a longtime friend of the family.
"It hurts too much because how can you imagine a guy that is close to you going to do that to you," she said. "She's really scarred. She doesn't want to go to school. She doesn't want to eat. She cannot sleep. She wakes up and she is crying."
