Aurora's East Colfax revitalization efforts face public safety concerns after possible kidnapping outside library

A woman seen on surveillance video being forced into a car outside Aurora's Martin Luther King Jr. Library has been found safe. But the incident this week is raising renewed concerns about public safety along a stretch of East Colfax Avenue that city leaders are working to revitalize.

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon near 9898 E. Colfax Avenue, where witnesses reported seeing a man force a woman toward a silver BMW.

John, a volunteer with The Purpose Project, was nearby providing resources to people in the community when the incident happened.

"We were out here serving food, there was people all around, then all of a sudden they're saying a female was taken," he said.

Surveillance video released by Aurora police shows a man holding onto the woman as he moves her toward the vehicle. Police say she appeared to resist before being placed in the back seat. Police attempted to use Flock cameras to locate the BMW, but spokesperson Kristopher McDowell said the vehicle did not have license plates, making it more difficult to track.

The woman was later found safe, but the case remains active. APD says releasing additional details could compromise the investigation.

John worries incidents involving women along the corridor happen more often than what gets reported. In November 2025, surveillance video captured a man forcing another woman into a vehicle near the same area. That woman was later found safe.

"It's a lot of brazenness and it's a lot of boldness, because it's happening in broad daylight," he said. "I see cars circling women out here and try to warn them."

The incident happened as Aurora's newly established Downtown Development Authority held its second official meeting inside the same library.

Voters within the proposed district approved creating the DDA in November 2025. The authority is intended to support revitalization efforts along East Colfax Avenue, including improvements to public safety, infrastructure, housing and business opportunities.

Police acknowledge the corridor continues to present challenges.

APD says the area generates enough calls that officers use more concentrated patrols, covering smaller geographic areas than officers assigned to other parts of the city.

McDowell said police regularly respond to drug-related calls, weapons offenses, violent crimes and sex-related incidents.

The MLK Library also houses an Aurora Police substation, although McDowell said it is not staffed around the clock.

Johnny Watson, a member of the Downtown Development Authority board, told CBS Colorado that improving public safety will be central to the authority's work.

"Public safety is the number one concern of the community, and that's where we're going to place our focus," Watson said.

Watson also raised the possibility of committing to some form of private security rather than relying exclusively on police.

"If people can't feel secure coming back to the Colfax corridor, that's going to be a problem, and we need to address that issue up front early on," Watson said.

Aurora police say detectives with the Major Crimes Unit are continuing to investigate Tuesday's case and will release additional information when arrests or charges are announced.