Two Deer Park Students Report Being Followed

Two Deer Park students were approached by an unknown couple in a car as they walked home from school Monday, according to an alert posted on the school district's website.

The Robert Frost Middle School students reported an unidentified man and woman pulled up next to them in a maroon/red minivan and attempted to wave them over to their car near Drake Avenue and Pitt Street, the alert states.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m.

The students immediately ran back to school. Police were notified of the incident, the latest in a string of similar reports within the past few weeks.

On Saturday, Feb. 23, a Deer Park High School student was followed by a vehicle on Nicolls Road. The female student reported being followed by a dark red car with tinted windows just west of Deer Park Avenue.

Previously, another Robert Frost Middle School student reported being approached by a small maroon/red car with one person inside on Washington Avenue near Hickory Street. The next day, police said a 911 call came in around 3 p.m. and a woman said her daughter was followed by two people in a dark vehicle as she walked from the bus stop at Headline Road and Sunburst Drive. 

In response to the incidents, police have increased patrols in the area.

Superintendent Eva Demyen said the district is taking a number of precautions in light of the reports, including safety announcements being made over the loudspeaker in all schools at the end of each day.

"Please take this opportunity to advise your children of the danger in talking to or getting near the cars of strangers," the district alert reads. "Always contact the police department to report any unusual attempt at contact with your children by strangers."