The local school district is urging students to walk with others after a man, who remains on the loose, attempted to forcibly kidnap a child in Grayslake Friday.
Community Consolidated School District 46 Superintendent Dr. Lynn Glickman sent a message to the school community alerting them of an attempted kidnapping in one of the school district’s neighborhoods on Friday.
Glickman said the school district recommends any students walking to and from school or bus stops do so with friends, siblings or parents in order to ensure safety.
“We hope that any students walking to and from school or bus stops will do so with friends, siblings, or parents/guardians in order to enhance safety, especially while the suspects have not yet been apprehended,” Glickman said.
The Grayslake Police Department will have an increased police presence in the area in the coming days.
The attempted kidnapping occurred in the Cherry Creek subdivision in the 700 block of Cherry Creek Drive in Grayslake.
The victim, a 17-year-old, reported they were walking home late Friday afternoon, police said.
A gray or silver minivan, occupied by two male subjects, stopped next to the victim.
One of the males exited the minivan and attempted to force the teenager into the vehicle, police said.
The victim was able to evade the grasp of the offender and escape from the scene.
The minivan fled the area and was last seen traveling towards Atkinson Road.
On Tuesday, a male driving a similar-colored minivan attempted to lure two different children moments apart on MacGillis Drive between Whispering Oaks Lane and Treehouse Lane in Round Lake.
The male suspect engaged in a conversation with each child and tried to get them to enter his vehicle, according to Round Lake Police Chief David Prus.
The suspect was unsuccessful in both attempts and fled the area before police arrived.
The children are students who were on their way to their bus stops, Prus said.
A surveillance camera captured the suspect’s vehicle, which is believed to be a Toyota Sienna minivan.
Grayslake Police Chief Phil Perlini said his department is collaborating with the Round Lake Police Department on the investigations.
Perlini said it is too early in the investigation to say whether the two incidents involve the same suspect.
“The detectives are in and actively working this case,” Perlini said Saturday morning.
The suspect in the Grayslake case is described as being 5-foot-8, 200 pounds, wearing a blue surgical mask and a black hooded shirt.
Prus told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the suspect vehicles in both cases are similar and investigators are working to determine if they are connected.
Prus said a sketch of the suspect in the Round Lake case is expected to be released this coming week.