What:

Sacramento Letter Carrier Ivan Crisostomo is being hailed a hero for his quick thinking and compassionate treatment of a missing, abducted teenager who was later sold to a sex trafficker.

For three months, Crystal was brutally drugged and sexually abused.

Crystal’s escape came while riding in the car with her abductor and two other people. She created a distraction by yelling, causing the driver to slam on the brakes and allowing Crystal to jump out of the car. She also managed to grab her abductor’s cell phone while making her daring escape.

Eventually, Crisostomo found Crystal standing alone on the sidewalk, shaking uncontrollably in shock and fear.

“I wanted her to feel safe and let her know that no one was going to take her until the police arrived,” said Crisostomo, who stayed with the teen until the 911 call was responded to.
“The memories of her fear and pain still haunt me, but I am happy I was there for her,” he continued. “I’m not a hero, I just followed my heart; it was a human response.”

Letter carriers are the eyes and ears of the neighborhoods they serve. Nationwide more than 300 letter carriers were honored in 2017 for their heroic deeds, everything from assisting the elderly to reporting house fires. In this case, 20-year postal veteran Ivan Crisostomo saved a teenager from the horrors of sex slavery.

When:

Thursday, August 2, 2018
7:00 a.m.

Who:

Officials with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department
Sacramento Postmaster Michelle Johnson
Stacy, mother of victim
Crystal, 16-year-old victim

Where:  

Sacramento Colonial Post Office
6024 44th Street
Sacramento, CA 95824