A 10-year-old Oak Creek girl was approached by men in a white van Tuesday, and police said it's the first of two complaints this week about a white van.
The first complaint was that the men approached the girl Tuesday in the Apple Creek subdivision. Then Thursday, neighbors called to report a white van on the east side of town parked at Riverton Meadows Park. They don't believe the men approached any children, but they were watching.
Police can't say the two incidents are related, but they have asked neighbors to be on high alert.
We talked to a mom, who did not want to be identified, who says her daughter was out riding her bike when the men tried to lure her.
"She stopped at a neighbor's house trying to pretend that it was hers, but they didn't leave, they just kept watching her," she said.
Her daughter didn't talk to the men and rode her bike home right away. The van followed.
"They were so bold," she said. "They just stood at the end of the driveway trying to call her over to them."
Oak Creek Police Chief Steve Anderson said they told the girl next time, she better talk to them. She told her mom, who called police.
"She did the right things. It was 10:30 in the morning and she wanted to ride her bike around her neighborhood and she should be expected to be able to do that," Anderson said.
Though she's only 10, the woman's daughter remembered details of the van.
"The grey square was the big marker to identify it on video," she said.
Now, police hope you might have seen this van and that neighbors will report unusual cars or activity when you see it.
"We need the community to be an extra set of eyes for us," Anderson said.
Anderson said it's never too early to talk to kids about stranger danger. Fifteen-year-old Afrah Yafai shared what happened with her younger sisters.
"They got really scared, they were like I don't want to ever play outside, I'm like no you gotta just be cautious be aware," she said.
"Just being told don't go over and talk to that individual, come and tell us if it happened as a parent or guardian who's watching them, let them know. It may be harmless, but you don't know on situations when it's not harmless," Anderson said.
On their Facebook page, Oak Creek Police wrote:
We are asking you to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity. If this van is seen or you see other suspicious activity, please report it to us. If its an emergency call 911, if its not an emergency contact 414-762-8200. If you want to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 414-766-7699
