Attempted Luring at Bus Stop Monday Morning

We are writing to inform you of an attempted child luring incident that occurred a little after 8:00 am on Monday, June 3, in the vicinity of the Safeway store in North City (NE 175th St. and 15th Ave. NE).

Here is the information that has been shared with us and reported to Shoreline Police:

• A student was standing at their bus stop when a man drove back and forth in front of the bus stop four or five times. He took some video and/or pictures of the student. He called out to the student from his car.

• Another parent arrived at the bus stop with their child and the man drove away. The parent reported the incident to police, who interviewed the student and their parents.

• The description of the person in the vehicle is a white male with dark hair who, in the words of the student, “looks like dad age.” He was wearing sunglasses and a sweatshirt with some gray and orange on it.

• The description of the car is a dark blue four-door sedan with some orange on the side (possibly paneling) and some light scratches.

We appreciate the parent who took the appropriate steps to immediately contact police and inform the school principal, as well as the support of Shoreline Police, who are actively investigating this incident and the person described in the report.

As always, please be aware of someone who is acting suspiciously or strangely, particularly in the presence of children. If you have a concern, do not hesitate to call 911.

And while we do not want to raise children’s anxiety levels or create undue stress of “stranger danger,” it is important that our children know what to do if they are approached by someone acting strangely or inappropriately. Consider talking with your child(ren) in an age-appropriate way about what to do in a situation like this, who the trusted grown-ups are in their life, and what might be “strange behavior.”

Some tips for these conversations are:

• Establish an “Always Ask First Rule” with your child: Always ask your parents or the person in charge first if someone wants you to go somewhere or wants to give you something. Ask your child what they would do in the following situations:

  • What would you do if a neighbor offered you a ride home?

  • What would you do if you were in the park and someone you don’t know asked you to go with them to help look for a lost ball?

  • What would you do if someone who lives down the block wanted to give you a present?

• Teach your child safety steps:

  • Say words that mean “no”: Help your child think of things to say such as, “Leave me alone,” “Stop that,” or “I don’t like that!” Or simply yell, “NO!” so that others around them can hear.

  • Get away: Teach your child to move away immediately from someone acting strangely, and to go to a safe location such as their home or inside their school.

  • Tell a grown-up: Children need to be able to identify adults to talk to, both inside and outside the family, since you may not always be available. Talk with your child about the grown-ups in their lives who they can trust.

We appreciate the care and concern of our community for making sure our students are as safe as possible.