{Seven Mile Island – June 1985}
While sitting on a comfortable chaise lounge chair with her legs extended toward the calm bay water, Lisa stared up at the night sky and reflected on how much fun she was having at the shore. She really liked her new job and thought it was a great way to earn a few dollars while meeting people her own age. She also thought about what Amy had said about Wayne and Johnny earlier that evening. Much to her surprise, Lisa had to admit that her brothers had been pretty cool since they’d all arrived at the shore.
As she relaxed, Lisa sensed movement in the shadows near the dock. She stood up and walked toward the lagoon. “Hey, who’s there?”
All at once, a blurred figure jumped up from the dock’s ladder and roughly grabbed the startled teenager. The anonymous person, who was dressed from head to toe in black clothing, acted with speed and strength. The only thing that Lisa could manage to do was scream, “Help! Help!”
Almost immediately, the intruder put a gloved hand over her mouth and commanded, “Shut up!” Those were the only words Lisa heard before the assailant threw her into a small powerboat a few feet away in the lagoon. Striking her head on the side of the boat’s interior wall, Lisa thought of her family as she slipped into unconsciousness.
At that same moment, Wayne stirred restlessly in his bed. His inability to sleep was likely due to the large portion of fluffy sugar-spun cotton candy he ate before leaving Wildwood.
When Wayne heard the sound of a scream through the open bedroom window, he sat up and urgently said, “Johnny, did you hear that noise?”
Johnny, who was also having difficulty sleeping, sprang up and said, “Yeah. It sounded like Lisa. Let’s check it out!”
The boys quickly peered out the side-by-side double-hung window and witnessed a large dark figure at the water’s edge push their sister into a boat. Immediately, the boys yelled for their dad and darted into the hallway.
Seeing their father, Johnny blurted out, “Dad, Lisa’s in trouble! We heard her scream and saw someone throw her off the dock into a powerboat!”
The boys never saw their father react so quickly. In a flash, he was down the stairs and out the back door, running toward the lagoon. Not missing a beat, Wayne and Johnny quickly pursued their dad outside.
By the time Mark and his sons reached the dock, Lisa was missing. Looking out over the bay, they witnessed the small speedboat rapidly accelerate away from the lagoon.
Seeing his wife walk out onto the back deck, Mark yelled, “Liz, call the police! I think someone’s taken Lisa!” He then hurried toward his Boston Whaler and shouted, “I’m going after that boat. It’s headed south in the bay!”
Before he boarded his craft, Liz yelled back, “Take the boys with you. They can use your floodlights to help track the other boat. And please be careful.” She then dashed into the house, where she immediately called the Avalon Police Department.
Mark swiftly untied the boat lines, then jumped into the captain’s chair at the center console and started the engine. After switching on the boat’s running lights, which helped to illuminate the vessel at night, he made certain that the boys were safely seated on the custom bench positioned directly in front of the operating console. “OK, boys, let’s roll.” Mark advanced the throttle as far as it could go, and the Whaler rocketed out of its boat slip and headed directly into the dark bay waters in hot pursuit of the mystery powerboat.
As a former naval officer, Mark was a skilled and competent boat operator. Because of this, he could be demanding of Wayne and Johnny when it came to boating.
As Mark maneuvered the craft into open waters, he shouted above the loud roar of the engine for the boys to grab the two floodlights.
“Johnny, aim your floodlight into the water just beyond the bow of our boat! Wayne, aim your light at the other boat!”
With a half-mile head start, the fleeing vessel swiftly moved south through the Ingram Thorofare channel without using any running lights. Fortunately, Wayne spotted the unidentified boat’s trailing wake waves in the eerily dark water, which allowed Mark to more easily pursue the escaping craft.
Because Mark’s boat had a powerful engine, he was able to gain on the vessel. After just a few minutes, Johnny yelled, “We’re catching up, Dad!”
With the lead boat more visible, Mark and the boys saw the craft suddenly slow to a crawl as it approached the large Avalon Boulevard Bridge. Because the bridge lights illuminated the surroundings, Mark saw the boat operator push something large into the water. Then, the powerboat quickly disappeared into the darkness underneath the bridge.
With the boys’ floodlights guiding the way, Mark immediately recognized his daughter waving her arms from the surface of the water. He reduced the Whaler’s speed and told Johnny to remain in his seat and to keep his light aimed at Lisa.
After Mark skillfully guided the boat alongside Lisa, Wayne took quick action by extending a personal floatation cushion to his sister. “Grab ahold. I’ll pull you in.” He then helped his sister climb up the side gunwale ladder and into the vessel.
“Oh my God! You saved me,” cried Lisa as she collapsed into Wayne’s arms. Not to miss a beat, Johnny was there with a large beach towel that he grabbed from the storage bin in the front bow. While wrapping it around Lisa, he comforted her. “You’re safe now, sis. Everything’s OK.”
After making certain that Lisa was not seriously injured, Mark used the boat’s VHF radio microphone to transmit a message to the marine police. “Mayday, mayday. This is Mark Sanders calling the Avalon Marine Patrol.”
After receiving a prompt response, Mark explained their situation and location. The dispatcher told Mark to remain there as a patrol boat was on its way. Because a dense fog was coming on, Mark launched a red distress flare high into the night sky, hoping it would help the police to pinpoint their position.
While Mark and the boys were rescuing Lisa, the kidnapper’s speedboat seemingly vanished without a trace. As much as Mark would have liked to identify the kidnapper, he was more than satisfied knowing that Lisa was out of danger. And he understood that it would not be wise to continue the pursuit since the dense fog was now enveloping his boat, and he did not want to take any risks with his children on board.
Without delay, the police boat reached the Whaler. After checking to make sure that Lisa was comfortable and not visibly harmed, the marine patrolman instructed Mark to follow him to the Avalon public marina. A short time later, the two vessels pulled into the marina and docked at two vacant boat slips. After the Sanders family disembarked, a large police motor vehicle transported everyone to the nearby headquarters for questioning.
The next few hours were fueled with anxiety, fear, relief, and multiple cups of warm cocoa and coffee. Lisa was frustrated because she was unable to provide the police detective with meaningful details about her kidnapper or the assailant’s boat. She recalled only that the assailant was dressed in black. When asked to describe the attacker’s voice, she said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t remember. Everything’s a blur.”
Lisa described one detail that had the potential to help the police. “After I woke up on the boat, I remember my head hurting. Then the engine noise wasn’t so loud. That’s when someone lifted me. As I was being pushed toward the side of the boat, I think I scratched the person with my right fingers. I could feel my nails scraping skin before they got caught on something. I’m not positive, but it may have been a glove. That’s when I splashed into the water.”
The detective asked her to try to remember if she pulled the glove off. Lisa said, “I’m really not sure. My fingers snapped back just before I landed in the bay.”
As the questioning continued, Lisa was relieved when her mom and grandpa walked into the station. “Oh, honey! Are you OK?” Liz ran to hug her daughter.
“I’m feeling better, Mom. Though I don’t understand how this could happen. Why me?”
As part of his investigation, the detective began taking detailed photographs and measurements of Lisa’s right hand and fingernails. He also secured nail scrape samples and sealed them in a specimen container.
The detective explained, “By documenting this evidence, the forensic experts at the state police laboratory in Hammonton might be able to find information that will help us to identify the assailant. And if we locate a suspect, we can compare any wound markings with the measurements and dimensions of your hand, fingers, and nails.”
While the detective was speaking with Lisa, Grandpa asked his old friend Chief Grant, “Would it be all right if we ask Dr. Craig Mitchell to stop by to take a look at Lisa?”
Liz added, “We truly would appreciate it, Chief.”
Knowing that Dr. Mitchell was Dylan and Christine’s family physician and resided nearby, the chief responded, “That’s a good idea, Dylan. I’ll give him a call.”
A few minutes later, Dr. Mitchell walked into the station. After examining Lisa, he spoke privately to Liz and Mark.
“Considering the extraordinary events of the past few hours, I believe that Lisa is really holding up well. While she has a few minor bruises, overall, her physical and mental states are remarkably good.”
With a concerned expression on her face, Liz asked, “Dr. Mitchell, will Lisa be OK?”
“Because she suffered a blow to her head and lost consciousness briefly, there is a chance that she has suffered a mild concussion. With this in mind, Lisa should get some rest and refrain from physical activities for a few days. If she experiences headaches, fatigue, blurred vision, disorientation, or nausea, please call me immediately for a more thorough examination.”
He optimistically added, “With that said, your daughter appears to be a healthy young lady, and she is not showing any signs of a concussion at this time. I’m sure that with some rest and with the love of her family, there’s a very good chance that she’ll be just fine.”
After the doctor left the station, Chief Grant told the family that he would keep them informed as to his investigation. Grandpa then drove Liz, Lisa, and the boys back to the house, and the chief took Mark back to the marina so that he could retrieve his boat. After thanking Chief Grant, Mark promptly navigated his Whaler back to Dylan’s dock.
Before climbing the stairs to her bedroom, Lisa asked her mom to call the Fishin’ Pier Grille to let the owner know that she wouldn’t make it to work after her traumatic night. Stopping halfway up the stairs, Lisa looked out the large window toward the inlet and witnessed a stunning sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. She whispered to no one in particular, “That’s so beautiful,” before heading to her bedroom.
Later that morning, the adults sat around the kitchen table and processed what had happened. They could not fathom why anyone would want to kidnap Lisa. The more they thought about it, the more frustrated they became. The situation was made even worse with their knowing that the police didn’t yet have leads to investigate.
In an effort to raise everyone’s spirits, Elizabeth said, “Well, if I had to guess, I think it was likely one of the boys I saw flirting with Lisa and Amy at the beach. Maybe it was a stupid, mischievous prank that got way out of hand. I can’t imagine he meant to scare her like he did.”
Although the others all nodded as if they agreed with Liz, deep in their hearts, they all had their doubts.