Man who helped Markham kidnapping victim speaks out

A Gravenhurst man is recounting how he helped Wanzheu Lu, the 22-year-old who was kidnapped from his Markham condo parking garage, after he was released by his captors.

The man, who didn’t want to be identified due to fears for his safety, described how his dog originally alerted him to Lu.

He said he was taking his dog out when she began barking at something. He could hear a voice from the street so he decided to go out an investigate himself.

“[Lu] had a dark hoodie on that had duck tape on it,” the man said.

The resident said that Lu didn’t know where he was and added that he had been handcuffed at some point.

Lu reportedly explained to him that he had been kidnapped and that’s when the man called 911.

“He was looking quite rattled (and) super upset, which I totally understand,” the man said.

He added that Lu couldn’t recall many details, “prior to being released or escaping, he had no idea where he was.”

Within 10 minutes, police had arrived and Lu was taken to hospital for minor injures. He has since returned to York Region.

The man said he had only heard about the story once on the radio and never expected to end at his home.

“I was taken aback by it, but I just did what I had to do,” he said.

He acknowledged if it weren’t for his dog he likely would not have known Lu was there and for a chilly night, Wanzheu was only dressed in a sweater and jeans.

“It definitely was a stroke of luck. I guess he had a guardian angel looking out for him at some point,” the resident said.

York regional police are still investigating the motive behind the “violent” kidnapping and are actively looking for four suspects involved.

FULL VIDEO: Gravenhurst man describes finding Markham abduction victim Wanzheu Lu