Police Step Up Patrols Around School After Stranger Incident

are stepping up patrols in the area of after an incident with a stranger Monday afternoon.

On Tuesday, a officer took a report of an attempted child abduction that took place at about 4:30 p.m. Monday.

An 11-year-old student, who was waiting for a ride outside the school said a man approached her to offer her a ride home and tried for three to four minutes to coax her into the car by offering her food and transportation. 

She refused his offer and walked quickly back into the school. The man left shortly afterwards.

"She was a very smart little girl," said Burr Ridge Deputy Police Chief Tim Vaclav. He said students should not hesitate to report incidents like this.

"Anytime something occurs that makes [children] uneasy or concerned, they should call us. It may be nothing, but it may be something we want to document, especially where children are involved," said Vaclav.

Description of stranger

The student said the man who approached her was a clean-shaven white male, 25 years old, with medium height and build and short brown hair. She described him as having a “big stomach and said he was wearing a red short-sleeved t-shirt, blue jeans with rips in the knees and black gym shoes at the time.

She could not say whether it was a car or van he was driving, but described the vehicle as a white, small to mid-sized passenger car that “looked like it was spray painted, not shiny new.” The student also described the car as having bright headlights.

The student said she may have seen the vehicle in the area in the past at different times and said she believes the offender looked familiar to her.

School response

The put out a cautionary email to parents about a possible safety concern after the incident, asking them to remind their children not to accept rides from strangers.

"We are on heightened alert with recent reports in the area," the district said in the email.

Superintendent Mark Fredisdorf said the email was referring to a September 20 informational safety alert the district received from the Countryside Police Department about two recent area reports of a suspicious white van approaching a child.

The first took place in La Grange and was reported to La Grange Police. The second took place in La Grange Highlands and was reported to Indian Head Park Police.

"We are trying to balance good judgment without trying to instill fear and panic unnecessarily," said Fredisdorf in an interview with Patch.

Fredisdorf said there was no coercion involved in Monday's incident.

"It's likely it was just another parent offering the student a ride," said Fredisdorf. "There is not sufficient evidence to say this was an attempted child abduction. The details are very few. At the same time, we take all of these incidents as serious."

Fredisdorf said they are reminding all students who take part in extracurricular activities to wait inside the school's glass rotunda.

"We have our coaches for the later events out there waiting with the kids," said Fredisdorf.

Other incidents reported to area police departments

The informational safety alert issued by Countryside Police on Sept. 20 detailed reports of two similar incidents involving a white van that occurred earlier this month.

 The first incident was reported to La Grange Police on the evening of Sept. 11. 

A 4-year-old boy was a few blocks from his home, in the area of 52^nd Street and Seventh Avenue, when he says two women tried to lure him into a white panel van by offering him gummy bears. Having been taught not trust strangers, he ran away and told his mother. She reported the incident to the police about 40 minutes later.

The second incident was reported to the Village of Indian Head Park Police Department on the afternoon of Sept. 18.  A 14-year-old told police that an elderly man approached him around 7 p.m. the day before at La Grange Highlands Middle School.

He described the man as being a very tall, bald, white male, in his 60s or 70s, with no facial hair, driving a white construction type van.  The 14-year-old said a similar incident took place about a month ago, but had not contacted police about it.

Anyone having information that might be helpful to police should call the Burr Ridge Police at 630-323-8181.