Northern Virginia bureau reporter David Culver explains how parents teaching their kids about “stranger danger” helped during the attempted abduction of three Arlington children.
Three young children ran away from a man who tried to lure them into his truck Tuesday evening in Arlington, Virginia, police and the mother of one of the children said.
The mother of one of the children, who all were age 8 to 11, said she was "very, very" proud her son remembered what she taught him about "stranger danger."
A man driving a dark-colored Chevrolet pickup truck rolled up to the children in the Yorkville neighborhood, Arlington County police said.
The children were playing hide-and-go-seek about 7 p.m. with their parents nearby when the man approached two little girls at N. Florida Street and 30th Street, Deputy Chief Daniel Murray said.
“All of a sudden, a, older model Chevy pickup truck stopped for about 30 seconds and kept waving two of these little girls over," he said.
The little girls ran off.
Just a few feet away, the man drove next to a little boy.
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"He said, 'Hey, get in and I'll get you home faster,'" Murray said. "Once again, this little boy ran back to where all the parents were and reported it."
The little boy's mother, who asked News4 not to identify her, said she glad her son remembered what she taught him about strangers.
"I was very, very proud of him," she said. "He was very shooken up, but he was very proud of himself."
"I remember you told me 'Stranger danger, never get in a car,'" the woman said the child told her.
Neighbor Debbie Turner, who grew up in the neighborhood, said the attempted abductions are a reminder of the need to stay vigilant.
"You think, 'Oh, it can’t happen to me,' but it can," she said.
Tips on what to teach children about strangers are available on the National Crime Prevention Council's website.
Police are on the lookout for a dark-colored Chevrolet pickup with a dent on one side, a ladder on the roof and tools in the bed of the truck.
Call police if you see this vehicle. Anyone who has information is asked to call police at 703-558-2222 or 703-228-4052. Tips can be submitted anonymously at 1-866-411-TIPS.
