[Update]
Two reported kidnapping attempts in North Texas may not have been what they seemed.
Police now say they don’t believe there are threats to the public in either case.
On Monday at 2:40 p.m., police were called to a home after children who were playing outside reported that someone in a white SUV tried to kidnap them.
The family’s doorbell camera shows someone in a white T-shirt and shorts getting out of a white SUV and running after one of the children.
The children’s mother was able to get the vehicle’s license plate number before he drove off.
Police said they have identified the involved individuals who are all under the age of 18.
“Detectives do not believe there is a threat to the public at this time. No arrests have been made in this case,” police stated on their website.
According to a CBS News report, a neighbor said an officer confirmed that the incident started when the boys threw something, possibly a water balloon or a ball, at the passing vehicle. The driver then stopped to confront the group.
The second reported attempted kidnapping case may have been a misunderstanding, according to Richardson police.
A teenage girl reported on Monday morning that she was scared and hid behind a neighbor’s vehicle when a suspicious vehicle repeatedly drove up and down her street.
“It was found that the driver was dropping off a family member at JJ Pearce High School. After reviewing the driver’s actions, detectives confirmed that no direct contact or communication with the student occurred. While the driver’s behavior is concerning, there were no criminal elements present to warrant charges,” Richardson police said in an online statement.
[Original Story]
Police in Dallas and Richardson are investigating after what appeared to be two attempted kidnappings were captured on doorbell cameras.
ABC News talked to the parents of two of the would-be victims.
“I heard screaming... and I could hear commotion outside,” Genna Skolnik said.
The mom heard her boys and their friends yelling outside after two vehicles pulled up near them around 2:40 p.m. on Monday.
“We get onto the sidewalk and we try to skip past, and I hear the drivers telling my friends to get into their car,” Zachary Skolnik said.
Zachary said he ran to his door screaming, “Someone is trying to kidnap us!”
The family’s doorbell camera shows someone in a white T-shirt and shorts getting out of a white SUV and running after their other son, Jonathan.
“He’s said, ‘There’s a football player in the back of the car.’ And then said, ‘Get in the back of the car.’ Then I said,’ I’m sorry. I don’t talk to strangers’ and I ran away,” Jonathan said.
Genna Skolnik ran outside and took a picture of the license plate.
Dallas Police are looking for a white Toyota Four-Runner with Texas license plate number THS 9209. There may have been a second vehicle possibly involved. That one is a dark-colored Chevy pickup truck.
Turns out, it was the second suspected kidnapping attempt reported that morning.
Richardson police said around 8:20 a.m. on Monday, a suspicious vehicle repeatedly drove up and down the same street. Security camera videos from the neighborhood show the vehicle making multiple passes and one video shows a teenage girl hiding behind a neighbor’s car. She told investigators that she thought the vehicle was following her.
Police were able to locate the driver.
“It was found that the driver was dropping off a family member at JJ Pearce High School. After reviewing the driver’s actions, detectives confirmed that no direct contact or communication with the student occurred. While the driver’s behavior is concerning, there were no criminal elements present to warrant charges,” Richardson police said in an online statement.
Still, experts are urging parents to talk to kids about safety as a new school year begins.
“Children should be very wary of strangers that are in a car approaching them. We know that the vast majority of attempted abductions and successful abductions use a vehicle. We know that the perpetrators are using the same lures, like asking for directions, looking for a lost puppy, or having candy. And so parents need to be talking to their children about identifying these risky situations and knowing how to avoid them,” said Callahan Walsh, child advocate for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.