A 14-year-old Kentwood girl fought off a man who tried to kidnap her on a neighborhood sidewalk. Police say the same man had assaulted a 66-year-old woman just hours earlier that day.

John Moore, 29, was arrested on May 13 and booked into the Kent County Correctional Facility. He faces charges of assault and battery and unlawful imprisonment. Moore is being held on $140,000 bail, according to Kent County jail records.

Two attacks, one day

The first alleged assault happened between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on May 12 near Poinsettia Avenue SE.

"A 66-year-old female reported that while working in her yard between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on May 12, 2026, a male suspect stopped his vehicle, engaged her in conversation, made unwanted advances, and physically assaulted her," the Kentwood Police Department said in a statement.

Mary Raab, the woman who reported the assault, told WOOD-TV that Moore approached her while she was planting flowers by her mailbox. He told her his brother had died and that he was struggling with grief, she said.

"He got out and said, 'I have had this very traumatic incident happen to me, my brother passed away, and I am in deep grief, and I do not know how to deal with it,'" Raab said.

Raab declined his request to use her restroom and directed him to a nearby gas station. She said he then grabbed her and attempted to kiss her.

"I think he chose me because he saw me as a woman alone. He was definitely testing me to see how vulnerable I was," Raab said.

Teen fights off attacker

At approximately 6:40 p.m., police responded to a report of an attempted kidnapping on Rondo Street SE.

Surveillance video released by police shows a dark-colored SUV pulling up alongside the 14-year-old girl as she walked on the sidewalk. A man exited the vehicle and ran toward her.

Court records obtained by WWMT-TV show the girl told investigators that Moore grabbed her and said, "I got you," before she fought him off. The teen's resistance caused minor injuries to Moore, according to court documents. He then fled back to his vehicle.

"That victim absolutely saved her own life that day. She did amazing things and fought hard and made that suspect jump back in the car and take off," Kentwood Police Department Captain Tim Wierenga told WOOD.

Police described the teen's actions as "heroic" in their statement.

How police identified the suspect

Investigators connected the two incidents within hours. They used witness statements, license plate reader data, and surveillance footage from a nearby resident to identify Moore as the suspect in both attacks. He was arrested within 24 hours of the incidents.

"Investigators are asking anyone who saw suspicious activity in either area or anyone aware of similar unreported incidents to come forward," the Kentwood Police Department said.

A history of prior arrests

Moore has a documented history of sexual misconduct, according to reports from WOOD-TV and Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker.

In September 2023, Moore was arrested for being a "bathroom peeper" at a grocery store, WOOD reported at the time. Surveillance cameras captured him recording an upskirt video in the store's common area.

In 2025, three women reported that Moore assaulted them at a different grocery store. Becker told WOOD that Moore walked around the store telling female customers they had spiders on their backs, then grabbed their buttocks. Moore was sentenced to time served after spending six months in jail. He was also placed on three years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.

According to the New York Post, citing Kent County Sheriff's Office records, Moore was also hit with two probation violations related to the May 12 arrests.

Moore's public defender, Laura Joyce, called him "kind, gentle, and patient" during a hearing, according to WOOD. She said Moore had a "reckoning" in jail regarding potential substance abuse issues.

"Obviously age didn't matter to him. He was just looking for a victim," Raab said.

Anyone with information about the case can contact the Kentwood Police Department at 616-656-6580 or submit an anonymous tip through Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.