A 10-year-old girl from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is seen on surveillance footage escaping an attempted kidnapping, according to local police. It was not the only time he allegedly approached her, police said.
In a press release shared with PEOPLE on Monday, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD) said authorities are searching for the suspect. It shared a flier that included a photo of the suspect, described as a white male between 30 and 40 years old. He has brown hair and is estimated to stand between 5 feet-10 inches and 6 feet tall.
A second noticefeatured a photo that matches the victim’s description of a vehicle.
The FLPD shared both fliers on Twitter.
In an alert from theBroward County Crime Stoppers, a $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
The release from the FLPD detailed the “concerning” events, which allegedly began Wednesday morning.
On Thursday, “it happened again,” police said.
Fort Lauderdale Police Department
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Per officials, the girl said the man was “driving a black cargo-style/‘big’ van with possible damage to the rear end.” The statement added, “The van has sliding doors but does not have windows on those doors.”
Both incidents took place near the 1500 block of Northeast 17th Way in Fort Lauderdale, FLPD said.
Speaking to local news station WPLG, the mother of the victim shared that her daughter told her the “man had parked the van on the side of the street and he came over and he opened the door andhe asked her if she wants some candy.”
TMX
The mother said the man told her daughter the following day, “you know, yesterday you didn’t get your candy or anything, here’s your candy.”
FLPD officers are considering the case as a “possible attempted child abduction” and urging anyone with information about the incident, the suspect, or the suspect’s vehicle to contact Detective Tiana DeQuarto at (954) 828-6559.
“These incidents are of great concern to us, and we need your help finding the person responsible,” authorities added.
source: people.com
