A 10-year-old girl from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is seen on surveillance footage escaping an attempted kidnapping and it’s not the first time the man had approached her.
In a press release on Monday, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD) said, “We have several officers searching for the suspect. We are also sharing a flier that includes a photo of the suspect. He is described as a white male between 30 and 40 years old. He has brown hair and is estimated to stand between 5 feet-10 inches and 6 feet tall.”
“We also have a photo of a vehicle that matches the victim’s description. Please contact us if anyone has any information about the suspect,” FLPD added.
Both fliers were shared on Twitter.
In an alert from the Broward County Crime Stoppers, a $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
FLPD described the incident, “The male attempted to lure her by offering candy, money, and other items, which she declined. The suspect then attempted to grab her but thankfully, she was able to run away. Then the man returned on Thursday and made a second attempt. He approached the little girl while she was on her way to school. However, this time he was on foot. She immediately ran away towards the school and away from the man.”
The girl said the man was driving a black cargo-style/’big’ van with possible damage to the rear end. The van has sliding doors but does not have windows on those doors.
Both incidents took place near the 1500 block of Northeast 17th Way in Fort Lauderdale.
The mother of the victim shared that her daughter told her the man had parked the van on the side of the street and he came over and he opened the door and he asked her if she wants some candy.
“He told my daughter the second time he saw her, ‘you know yesterday you didn’t get your candy or anything, here’s your candy’,” the mother added.
FLPD officers are considering the case as a “possible attempted child abduction” and urging anyone with information about the incident, the suspect, or the suspect’s vehicle to contact Detective Tiana DeQuarto at (954) 828-6559.
“These incidents are of great concern to us, and we need your help finding the person responsible,” authorities added.
WTF!!!!! If this child had been the victim of an attempted kidnapping, why was she walking to school by herself?!?!?!?