A California teen saved his four-year-old sister from a kidnapper, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies reported on Sunday.

The 13-year-old witnessed a man snatch his sister from their fenced yard in Lancaster on Saturday, and gave chase. He screamed for help and grabbed his sister's arm, prompting the man to drop the girl.

The suspect, 61-year-old Earl Williams, was seen pacing near the home that morning, and asked the girl her name before picking her up.

Neighbours were alerted by the teen's screams, and flagged down nearby officers. Sgt. Eric Metten reported that Williams was arrested, and has a record of violent crime. The siblings were not harmed, and Metten did not know if there was an adult inside the home at the time of the offense. Deputy Mighuel Ruiz called the boy a hero.

"He was definitely quick on his feet," he told KABC-TV. "He's very responsible for his family and obviously his four-year-old sister. So at this point, he is our hero for today."

Last month, a father in Utah saved his five-year-old daughter from a would-be kidnapper.

Police reported that 46-year-old Troy Morley entered the family's home on Rembrandt Lane through an unlocked door, and began rummaging through items in the basement. Sandy Police Sgt. Dean Carriger said the intruder came upon the girl, and carried her upstairs and outside. The girl's parents were awakened by the front door opening, and the father saw Morley carrying his daughter across the front lawn.

After being confronted, Morley surrendered the girl, and entered another home through a dog door. The home owner heard noises, and discovered the intruder.

"I went downstairs, and he was crouched up kind of by the back door with no shirt on," Tina Olsen recounted. "And he just said like, 'Am I bad? Am I in trouble?' I just started screaming and ran up the stairs and told my husband, 'There's a man in the house.'"

Police were already in the area due to the 911 call that the family on Rembrandt Lane placed. When Morley fled from Olsen's house, he was quickly apprehended by canine units. Sgt. Carriger said that although no one was injured, the situation was very disturbing.

"It obviously was a very scary, traumatic situation," he said, according to The Blaze. "The sanctity of our home is huge and for somebody to enter that and grab your child, it's got to be one of the worst nightmares a parent could face. . . If those parents were not awakened to go out and investigate, he could have easily left undetected with the girl."