Story highlights

Police: The 13-year-old girl escapes from a motel room in Plainview

Police: She thought she was there to meet a Facebook friend

A 25-year-old man allegedly befriended her by posing as a teenage girl, authorities say

CNN  — 

A teenage girl is lucky to be alive after she fled from an alleged predator in a Texas motel, authorities said.

The 13-year-old girl escaped from a motel room in Plainview last month after a 25-year-old man allegedly befriended her by posing as a 15-year-old girl on Facebook, police said.

He later invited her into the motel, Plainview Police Capt. Manuel Balderas told CNN by phone.

Police said they have a suspect whom they have not identified publicly, and no one has been arrested after school officials made the incident public this week.

The teen’s older sister drove her to the motel, Balderas said, and she went to the room where she planned to meet her Facebook friend.

Once she got to the room, an older man greeted her, saying her Facebook friend was in the shower and would greet her shortly, according to the police

When the girl turned her back to look toward the bathroom, he grabbed her and taped her mouth shut, Balderas said.

She resisted and screamed, and the man panicked and removed the tape, according to police.

Balderas said the girl blurted out that her sister was waiting outside the motel for her, forcing the man to release his grip. She ran out of the door and back to her sister’s car, according to police.

Such situations rarely end so safely, said Balderas, who urged parents to monitor their children’s online activity and ensure that meetings with people they meet online take place under adult supervision and in a public place.