Syracuse police investigate 2 attempted abduction reports near elementary school


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SYRACUSE — Syracuse police conducted extra patrols around the area of Bluff Ridge Elementary School Thursday following two recent reports of possible abduction attempts.

On Wednesday, a 10-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl were walking home from school about 3:30 p.m. in the area of 2600 South and 1000 West when an elderly man stopped his car across the street from them and yelled out the window.

"He said, 'Your mom asked me to give you a ride home from school, but since you're here, I'll just take you from here,'" said Syracuse police officer Erin Behm.

The children declined and the man drove off without getting out of his car. When the children got home, their mother confirmed that she had not asked anyone to pick them up, Behm said.

That incident comes on the heels of an April 28 episode when a car with a group of boys approached two young girls, ages 10 and 8, walking in the area of 2400 South and 650 West about 8:30 p.m.

"They just asked them if they wanted a ride home," Behm said.

The girls declined and the car drove off without anyone getting out.

"The kids had just talked with parents about stranger danger, so it was fresh on their minds," Behm said.

The descriptions of the vehicles and the occupants are limited in both cases, she said. In the incident with the group, they were described as "young males with tan- colored skin driving a silver car. One suspect possibly had tattoos on his arm," Behm said.

In the incident with the elderly man, he was simply described as a man "wearing a black hat and driving a white SUV."

Syracuse police have contacted surrounding agencies to put them on alert, Behm said, as well as the National Center for Missing and Exploited children to find out if any other incidents have been reported. Investigators were also going through the Utah Sex Offender Registry on Thursday to look for any possible matches of a suspect or vehicle in their area.

Anyone with information on either incident can call Syracuse police at 801-825-4400.

Contributing: Mike Anderson

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