Cal Ripken Jr. Speaks About Mother's Abduction, Attempted Carjacking
ABERDEEN, Md. (WJZ) -- First a kidnapping, then an attempted carjacking. After his mother is involved in two frightening encounters, baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. speaks about the incidents.
Jessica Kartalija has the latest.
Cal Ripken is calling the whole thing bizarre, but says he's leaving the investigating up to police.
Just last month, there was an attempted carjacking in broad daylight as Vi Ripken, 75, was leaving the NBRS Financial Bank on W. Bel Air Avenue in Aberdeen.
"Mrs. Ripken had told them that she was approached in the parking lot as she went to her vehicle by a man with a gun," said Lt. Fred Budnick, Aberdeen Police.
It was a frightening ordeal for Vi Ripken, who just last year was abducted at gunpoint from her home, tied up, forced into her car and driven around for 24 hours.
"It seems to be bizarre that a similar thing can happen to your mom two times in a year," Cal Ripken said. "I am concerned, but at the same time, I take my concern from her. How she deals with it. She swears we're all more worried than she is."
The Hall of Famer, author, businessman, public speaker and CEO of Ripken Baseball, says he's leaving the investigating to the police.
"Part of dealing with this personally is that you can get immersed into it, into the whole investigation and the process and have that run your life," he said. "Or you can pull back and let the professionals do their jobs."
In both incidents, Vi was physically unharmed, save for the stress to both her and her family.
"She's doing miraculously well, unbelievably well," Cal Ripken said. "I don't know if each and every one of us would think about the things that she's gone through, whether we would react in the same fashion. She's remarkable."
A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in last year's abduction case. Ripken says there have been several leads in the case.
John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted, urged the kidnapper to come forward, saying: "They're going to hunt you down. Turn yourself in."
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