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OGDEN — Police are searching for a man accused of trying to kidnap two young boys after a scouting event.
Officers rushed to a church parking lot at 1402 Country Hills Drive in Ogden Wednesday night when the 8-year-old boys called police and said a man driving a late 1990s Chevy S-10 truck told them he was there on behalf of their parents to take them home.
What the attempted kidnapper didn't realize is these children knew how to handle this scary situation.
The boys asked the man, who they described to be in his 20s with blonde spiky hair, “What's the password?” When he didn't know the answer, they ran to find their advisers, according to Lt. Danielle Croyle.
Croyle said the boys did exactly what they should have done in this situation.
"No. 1, the buddy system,” Croyle said of actions that kept the boys safe. “Two, that they had a password that they had to have."
According to parents.com, one of the top ways to prevent child kidnapping is to have a family safety plan.
The plan should include a password, once children have been educated about potential threats and scenarios.
Because the man is still on the loose, and there is not a good description of him, police are asking people in the area to watch for anything suspicious.
Patrol officers have ramped up their routes in the area to track him down.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Travis Gerfen at 801-629-8477.
