Concerned parents in Newton, Massachusetts, are speaking out after a suspicious man approached a child Monday morning.
A man in a red pickup truck approached a 13-year-old middle school student around 7 a.m. Monday while she walked to her bus stop near Lexington Street and River Street.
Police say the man first asked the child if she wanted a ride. After she refused, he allegedly told the girl to get inside the truck.
"She said 'No thank you,' and continued to walk. She then saw him at the end of the street, where he proceeded to get out of his vehicle," said the girl's mom.
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Police say the girl ran away and snapped a photo of the stranger. She then called her parents, who called police.
"No normal person walks up to a little kid on their way to school and tells them to get in their car," the girl's father said. "Especially in this day and age, no one does that."
Monday afternoon, police officers went door to door to talk to residents in the area.
By evening, police said they had identified the man, but that no charges had been filed against him.
"The investigation still remains open," said Lt. Bruce Apotheker of the Newton Police Department. "But I just want to give a shout-out to that 13-year-old. She did everything right, and she was able to get a picture, and that picture helped us identify who that person is."
The girl's family said Monday that she won't be walking to the bus stop anytime soon.
"It's frightening," her mom said. "These are those types of things you feel it's worst your nightmare and you try to protect your children from."
The girl's school sent home a letter to parents informing them about what happened.
Police say incidents like this are reported many times each year in Newton.
