In Spanish, she told him, "I never thought there would be someone with such a big heart to rescue my daughter and risk your life."
"I would do it again." he told her.
"It was all about faith." He added, "It wasn't right, what he did to your daughter." He said.
She thanked him and said, "May God repay you because you have no idea how you relieved the pain in my heart." She invited him to visit her daughter who is recovering at home.
Victor Perez has become a national hero since saving the child from the clutches of a kidnapper on Tuesday. He's appeared on several national television shows, including Good Morning America. He was live with Chief Jerry Dyer in front of Fresno Police Headquarters early Wednesday morning. Victor is clearly surprised by his sudden celebrity.
"It makes me feel good hearing from other people across the nation. I thought wow, I didn't know it reached all the way over there and how people are so much interested in hearing my story." Perez said.
Calls and e-mails have been pouring in along with offers of money and best of all, the prospect of a job.
"Thank the lord. Thank God for that. Anybody, I mean anybody can really use a job right now." Perez said.
Since hearing how this unemployed construction worker had been laboring in the fields, picking grapes to support his two sons, job offers have appeared.
Tobbie Biglione, owner of Valley Air Conditioning saw Victor on TV and is one of the many who are ready to give him a job.
"I'm always looking for a man with great integrity, character and character and integrity outweigh experience," said Biglione. "I don't think just anybody would have jumped in the vehicle and chased this guy down with that kind of determination."
Victor Perez has also earned the praise of another hero in this drama. Highway Patrol Officer Dustin Dimmer was on his way to Bakersfield early Tuesday morning where he was working as a salvage vehicle inspector when he heard the call. "I thought man, this is an Amber Alert, I can divert for this."
Dimmer told us he was near where the pickup had been spotted and went into action. "I actually said a prayer, God, use me to help find this girl. It would be a good catch."
Moments after that prayer he spotted what looked like the truck and moved in. He captured Gonzalez at gunpoint. But he says, he was just doing his job and he says, the credit goes to Victor Perez. "I got a lot of hugs and handshakes yesterday and that's cool, but he's really the one that did the whole thing." Dimmer said.
The accolades for Perez will continue. On Thursday California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will honor him at a special ceremony at Fresno City Hall. On Saturday Victor Perez and his family will be introduced during halftime ceremonies at the Fresno State Football game.
