Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine weren’t looking for anyone that morning.
They were just following their usual route for Pelican Waste & Debris in Louisiana when something caught their attention: a gray Nissan Altima, parked alone in a field in St. Martin Parish. Hours earlier, an Amber Alert had been issued for 10-year-old Jalisa Lasalle, who had disappeared from a relative’s home in New Iberia. The car exactly matched the description.
They didn’t hesitate. Merrick positioned the garbage truck directly in front of the vehicle so it couldn’t move and called 911 while Antoine kept watch over the scene. Police arrived within minutes, found Jalisa unharmed, and arrested 33-year-old Michael Sereal, a registered sex offender. Merrick even livestreamed part of the operation on Facebook. Two fathers, on their work shift, changed the fate of a girl they didn’t know.
