Teenage girl safe after being dragged into car while walking New York street with her mother

She returned home safe hours after authorities issued an Amber Alert

Authorities have say a 16-year-old girl is safe and sound after police issued a New York City Amber Alert for her kidnapping on Monday, then saying she was potentially in "imminent danger of serious bodily harm and/or death."

The girl, identified as Karol Sanchez, was reportedly abducted in the Bronx, with grainy surveillance footage appearing to show several men exit a car and grab the girl. She returned home safe hours after the Amber Alert was issued.

Her mother reportedly struggled with the men at the time of her kidnapping, but was ultimately left behind unharmed.

The car had last been seen at around 11.20 pm in the Bronx, before the aler was sent on Tuesday. New York Police Department chief Terence Monahana wrote on Twitter that she was abducted by four "male suspects who were driving a 4-door beige sedan".

The Amber Alert was sent to cell phones in the New York City area Tuesday morning.

Karol has been described as being approximately 5'5", 150 lbs, and with short black hear.

She was last seen before the apparent kidnapping wearing a dark blue jacket, a white sweater, blue jeans, and black sneakers, according to police.

Amber Alerts are the system for alerting child abduction emergencies in the United States, and have been used since the 1996 abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman in Texas.

The NYPD has urged anyone with information related to Karol's disappearance to contact the departments Crime Stoppers Hotline in the US at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).