Wake Forest Police Department reports suspicious person approaching children
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Wake Forest Police Department continues to urge residents to be on the lookout for a suspicious person approaching children after another incident was reported to officers over the weekend.
Police say the latest incident happened Sunday around 10:45 a.m. in the Northampton subdivision. Police responded to the 6300 block of Ridgemount Street after two men in a work van approached a young girl.
She was walking her dog when the driver asked her to come over to the van. The girl ran away and told her mom, who immediately called the police.
The van is either gray or silver with no back windows and scratches along the front and back ends.
Authorities say both men are white. The driver was described as wearing a red and green baseball cap and the passenger may have had a short Mohawk-style haircut and a nose ring.
The girl's mother, Kimberly Ramos tells ABC11 she's proud of how her daughter responded to the dangerous situation.
"She was scared," said Ramos. "She was scared. She was shaken, but she did exactly what we would hope."
Ramos said she's taught all of her children since they were very young, to run when they feel they're in danger, and not to worry about coming across as rude or abrasive.
"It is paramount," she said. "And in this case, it saved her life I think."
Now Ramos hopes her community will realize the importance of being vigilant at all times.
"To parent as a community, keep a close eye out for each other's children and not just for your own," said Ramos. "But that's something we should be doing consistently not just when something concerning and alerting happens."
There have been three other reports of similar incidents in the Rolesville and Wake Forest areas since December. In one of the other cases, two men in an SUV offered rides to kids and were asking about a missing kitten. In a separate incident, a boy reported being approached by a man at the Factory Sports Complex.
Police urge parents to warn their children about the potential danger of talking to strangers.
Anyone who witnesses suspicious activity should call the Wake Forest Police Department at (919) 554-6150. The call can remain anonymous.
