MCALLEN – A McAllen neighborhood is on edge after witnessing what they say is a kidnapping.

Witnesses, whose identities will be kept hidden for protection, told CHANNEL 5 NEWS the incident happened on South 48th Street Monday afternoon.

“I was headed over to a friend’s house to help her out with her car,” said Greg.

Greg said once he pulled up to the place, he saw the unthinkable. He said the young man ran down the street screaming before hiding in a truck.

“All of a sudden, I just saw some guy pulling at this other truck so that the passenger got out and yanked some guy straight from the truck,” he recalled.

He said around three Hispanic men forced the man into a black Jeep Grand Cherokee.

But it was Greg’s quick thinking that led authorities to the vehicle.

"It was like not even five seconds from when they grabbed him to the truck. Fortunately, I was able to get the license plate before they left. I called it in, called it in with the license plate,” he said.

Greg said he keeps his eyes open for suspicious cars in the area. He told us he takes down their license plate number when he sees one.

"It was kind of just an instinct to grab the truck's license plate numbers before they sped off,” he added.

Incidents such as these are what have Laura and Mary wanting to move.

“I turned around and I said, ‘Someone’s getting kidnapped. Someone’s getting kidnapped!’ And me and my best friend went inside like screaming,” Laura said.

Mary said the neighborhood is getting kind of dangerous. She said they've seen other events that have them thinking twice about residing in the area.  

"This was just a big eye-opener for me because I had already been feeling kind of skeptical with some things that I had been noticing,” she said.

They said after what they saw on Tuesday, it was time to move.

U.S. Border Patrol is leading the investigation.

The agency said the young man was in the U.S. illegally and had all of his belongings stolen from him. His current condition is unknown.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS wanted to find out what should be done in case someone witnesses a crime being committed.

Officer Jose Rodriguez with the Weslaco Police Department said you should try to provide a detailed description of the criminal. He said the license plate number of a vehicle can help describe the vehicle’s make, model and color.

“Try to get the description of the individual. What clothing they’re wearing, what cars are involved,” he said. “If possible – nowadays we all carry cell phones, take a picture video.”

He said in the possible kidnapping case, Greg’s actions are what probably helped authorities catch the criminals.