Pennsylvania state police and school officials have issued an alert to parents after an attempted child luring incident Wednesday afternoon. Augustus J. Massaro, superintendent of the Avon Grove school district sent a Child Safety Alert via email to parents after a group of students was approached by a stranger shortly after school let out on Schoolhouse Road in London Grove.
According to the alert, the several Avon Grove Intermediate school students were approached at a bus stop by a man who asked the students if they would like to look at stuffed animals in his vehicle. The students refused and the man quickly fled the scene at high speed, according to reports. The man is described as a white male in his sixties or seventies with blonde or gray hair and a tan or weathered complexion. He was wearing a white or yellow polo shirt at the time of the incident. His vehicle is described as a red or maroon late 1990s or early 2000s model F150 pickup truck with an extended cab and tinted red windows.
Andrea Cavanaugh, a parent of an Avon Grove district student said her daughter experienced a similar incident involving the same vehicle. Cavanaugh said students were approached in a similar manner despite the presence of several adults nearby. Police were called to the scene Wednesday and searched the area for the vehicle, but the suspect could not be located. Police said they issued a regional alert message to neighboring law enforcement agencies.
Police and school officials ask that anyone with information regarding the incident call the state police Criminal Investigations Unit at 610-268-2022. School officials are asking parents to reinforce safety rules with their children involving dealing with strangers. Parents are urged to walk children to and from bus stops and always encourage children to travel in groups. Children should also never speak to strangers and immediately report suspicious activity to police by calling 911.
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