On October 19th, a 10-year-old girl was approached by a white male in what is being described as an attempted kidnapping in the Fort Lauderdale community. The male ‘attempted to lure her by offering candy, money, and other items,’ according to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
He then attempted to grab the young girl after she declined his offer. Luckily, the young girl ran away and wasn’t physically harmed by the male – but that wasn’t the last of it. The same white male approached the same 10-year-old girl the following day, though he was on foot this time.
The moment she saw the man, she started running towards her school. Again, she was unharmed. Officials are still searching for the man in question and are offering a reward to anyone with information – the incidents happened near the 1500 block of Northeast 17th Way.
In a social media post on Friday, the FLPD shared a description of the suspect – a white male, 30-40 years old, approximately 5’10’’ to 6’0’’, and brown hair. They also shared a description of his vehicle – a black cargo van with sliding doors without windows, and possible damage to the rear.
Detectives confirmed the first contact occurred between 7:30 and 8:00 on Wednesday morning, with the second contact occurring around 7:40 on Thursday morning. The suspect was driving his vehicle as he made contact the first time but was noted on foot during the second contact.
The young girl’s mother opened up about the concerning series of events – which should never happen to a child. “[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,” said the worried mother.
She went on to explain that the man tried to lure her the second time by saying, “you know, yesterday you didn’t get your candy or anything, here’s your candy.” With little information, police officials are asking the public for help in finding the suspect before he tries again.
Surveillance Video Shows Young Girl Running Away From Attempted Kidnapping
A new surveillance video shows what every parent fears when they say goodbye to their children in the morning – a young girl running away from a predator. While the video doesn’t show the suspect or his vehicle, it does show the amount of distress the young girl was in at the time.
You can see the young girl running down the sidewalk – from the right of the screen and to the left. As she nears the left side of the screen, she stops and puts her hands on her kneecaps – catching a quick breath – before taking off again. It looked like a peaceful morning, but it wasn’t.
If you have any information or tips regarding the attempted kidnapping, the suspect in question, the suspect’s vehicle, or any other suspicious activity that might be related to the suspect, the FLPD is urging the public to contact Detective Tiana DeQuarto at (954) 828-6559 right away.
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In the United States, more than 800,000 children go missing every year – it’s something that happens every 40 seconds, on average. If you ever see something suspicious or have reason to believe someone is in danger, don’t hesitate to reach out for help – you might be saving a life.