Kidnapping of Bay Area 15-year-old at gas station was a prank, police say

Bambaloi is back home after the ordeal, according to police, though details on how she was found were not immediately released.

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Friday, November 19, 2021
Bay Area teen found after kidnapping triggers Amber Alert in SoCal
Fifteen-year-old Georgiana Bambaloi of Vallejo is back home and safe after she was abducted at a gas station in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, police said.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KABC) -- Police in the Bay Area are now calling the alleged abduction of a Vallejo teen at a gas station a prank.

Investigators with the Santa Rosa Police Department say after speaking with the teen, identified as Georgiana Bambaloi, it was determined that it was not a case of child abduction.

An Amber Alert was previously issued Thursday morning for most of Southern California, including Orange, San Diego, Los Angeles and Riverside counties.

Bambaloi is back home after the ordeal, according to police.

Initially, the California Highway Patrol said 20-year-old Ionita Cimino abducted Bambaloi on Wednesday, adding that the two were possibly headed to Southern California.

At the time, investigators said Bambaloi was grabbed by a man in an orange shirt and was forced into a car that took off from the scene.

Police did not elaborate on how Bambaloi was found. The incident remains under investigation and police say they are questioning all parties involved.