MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — A 31-year-old man accused of trying to kidnap a child from a Gaithersburg school bus stop was ordered held in jail for a mental health evaluation by a Montgomery County judge Tuesday
Jamaal Germany is accused of grabbing a middle school boy waiting for the bus and trying to pull him into an apartment. Several students, who were also waiting for the bus, tried to intervene and the child was able to get away.
Germany is facing attempted kidnapping charges, but his parents blame a stressed out mental health system for failing to protect both their chronically ill son and the children he’s now accused of terrorizing.
The parents, who do not want to be identified publicly, told WUSA9 they have struggled desperately to get their son treatment, saying his mental health has collapsed in recent months. They say he has been in and out of hospitals three times since the beginning of the year, and described recently calling police for help because his behavior had become so dangerous.
But the parents said each time, Germany was discharged by hospitals back to the Gaithersburg apartment complex where he was still living independently after losing his latest job as an Amazon driver. Germany's episodes of shouting, wandering around, and scaring people in the community continued to grow worse, his parents said.
Police say Germany went too far Monday morning when he tried to grab the boy from his bus stop at Towne Crest Drive. According to court documents the child was so traumatized he could barely speak to investigators and had to take several breaks when telling police what happened.
Germany was in court Tuesday for a bond hearing on attempted kidnapping charges, where he shouted at the judge. Special victims detectives who interviewed Germany said he made several incoherent statements during the interview, including "I gotta look out for [redacted], he a good kid," and "I got a dollar for him and I gotta make sure that he good."
Ultimately, Germany was ordered to stay in jail pending a mental health evaluation.
The principal of Redland Middle School, the school the student involved attended, sent a joint letter with principals from two nearby schools that also use the bus stop to their respective school communities, noting that security would be increased at the impacted bus stop following the incident.
"We are grateful for the quick action of our students and the bus driver and for the support of our MCPS security and Montgomery County Police Department partners," the letter said. "Knowing that this may have been alarming for some of our students, we are providing social emotional support to all of the students who were at the bus stop and may have witnessed this."
Detectives urge anyone who believes that they may be a victim of Germany to call 240-773-5400.
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