Sonya Deville has opened up about her attempted kidnapping and the reaction from Vince McMahon following the traumatic event.
Phillip A. Thomas II attempted to kidnap Daria Berenato (Sonya Deville) in August 2020. He invaded her home, and he brought a knife, plastic zip ties, and duct tape with him. Luckily, police caught him in the act and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Sonya Deville opened up about her ordeal with her attempted kidnapper. She revealed that WWE sent security to help move from her house into a hotel, which she and Mandy Rose barricaded themselves in her room for safety.
“WWE sent security to meet me there to go in the house and get my stuff out. They got us a hotel in downtown Tampa. I was so paranoid,” Sonya Deville said (H/T Fightful). “I thought the hotel couldn’t be in my name because the whole concern was he was going to get out on bail and they weren’t going to grant a permit restraining order. The people at Tampa Police who were communicating with me were like, ‘He’s going to get some kind of bail. I don’t know if he’s going to be able to make it, but he’s going to get some kind of bail.’
“I was freaking out. He’s going to be loose tonight and come right back after me. In the interrogation, he made it clear he’s not done with me, and when he gets free he will come back after me. I was freaked out. I put the hotel name under an alias. Me and Mandy [Rose] are in a hotel room together, scared shitless, we dragged the dresser in front of the hotel room door.” added Sonya Deville.
Sonya Deville On Vince McMahon
She continued as Sonya Deville spoke about Vince McMahon’s reaction to her attempted kidnapping. She revealed that the former WWE Chairman rented her a new place to stay and paid for 24/7 armed security for her and her family.
“I’m talking to Vince [McMahon]. SummerSlam is coming up and he’s checking in on me. He said, ‘Why don’t you come to the venue? I want to say hi and hug you.’ We drove to the venue, saw him, Hunter [Triple H] and Stephanie [McMahon] were there,” Sonya Deville explained.
“He’s like, ‘What do you need from me?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘Are you going to be okay staying back at your house?’ ‘No, I don’t think I can go back there.’ I left on my ADT camera and there were reporters all over my front door step. ‘I can’t do this. It’s okay. I’ll figure it out.’ Vince is like, ‘No, what do you want to do? Do you need a place to stay?’ ‘I don’t know. My dad is coming down tomorrow and we’ll try to figure something out.’ ‘Alright, we’ll get you a place to stay if you need a place to stay.’
“Vince rented a house for me to stay in, in a different part of Florida. My mom came to stay with me. Mandy stayed with me a little. Mandy’s mom came and stayed, and hired 24/7 armed security. These guys had guns on their hips,” added Sonya Deville.
