Police Hunt For Man Who Was Trying To Lure Multiple Kids Into His Car Near School

Ardsley residents have been asked by cops to keep a lookout for a man who allegedly tried to lure girls into his car.

A man made several attempts at luring high school aged girls to his car on Tuesday around 5 p.m. and again at 7 p.m, authorities told News 12 Connecticut. The girls were allegedly told by the man that he was from the Sleepy Hollow area and that he needed help to find the Ardsley High School, reported ABC7 The alleged incidents took place in the Ardsley School District's Hartsdale section.

The suspect has been described as a white man with dark hair and a receding hairline. He seems to be in his 40s and was seen driving an older model four-door sedan in red or maroon color. Residents have asked by the Ardsley Police to, "keep a lookout for a vehicle and male that match this description."

One of the victims was a freshman at Ardsley High School. She told NBC New York that on Tuesday evening, she was walking on the street near the school. She was heading to practice, when someone in a red car started to follow her. The teenager said that she was listening to music, and was on her phone. Then all of a sudden, the man in the red car, pulled up next to her. He rolled down his window, and told her that he was from Sleepy Hollow.

According to the girl, the man said that he knew all about "stranger danger, and that I could get into his car if I needed a ride because he’s also going to the high school." The girl then called a friend and walked away. The man left when she got on campus. She said that she was really "creeped out" because she had "walked back and forth all the time to the middle school, too. Nothing like this has ever happened."

The man also approached another student just two hours after he followed the first girl, said district leaders.

The teenager later told her mother about it and then cops were informed. The daughter and her mother let the school know about the man the next day. The victim's classmate Jeremiah Simonette said that the girl reported it to the school and the "school sent out an email blast." The school "suggested that they walk, the girls walk in pairs, or try to get a ride home."

Mother of the victim said that she and her daughter are meeting with investigators. They want to look through surveillance video, to see if they can spot the man or his car.

On Thursday, an officer was patrolling the neighborhood around the school. A statement from the district superintendent said that they are taking the matter very seriously, and that students’ "safety and well-being is our first priority." They are also working with the "local police department on the investigation."