Man Tried to Lure 11-Year-Old Pleasanton Boy into His Van, Police Say

PLEASANTON, CA — A man in a van approached a Pleasanton boy and tried to lure the child into his van Tuesday evening, police officials said. The 11-year-old boy was walking home on Concord Street when a dark-colored 4-door van allegedly pulled over next to him.

According to police, the man told the boy his mother was in the hospital and claimed she had asked him to give the boy a ride to the hospital. The boy ran to his house and reported the incident to his mother, who called police. Police searched the neighborhood and surrounding areas but were not able to find the van.

“While this type of incident is unusual in the Pleasanton community, it is important to teach youth to be
prepared for such situations,” police said in a statement. “The 11 year old boy in this instance did remarkable work in getting away from the situation quickly, heading to a safe place and immediately reporting the incident to a trusted adult.”

Police say the suspect is described as white man, who is about 50 to 55 years old. He was unshaven. His van was last seen leaving the area on on Palomino Drive from Concord Street.

Police released the following safety tips for parents to share with their children:

• Ask children to check in when leaving one location, and again when they arrive at their destination. Encourage traveling in groups.
• Awareness is a great crime prevention tool – have youth put away the phones and tell them not to put both headphones in when listening to music. They should pay attention to what is going on around them.
• Does your child know where they are going? Do they know their friends address and streets they travel on? If they have to report an emergency, it is important they know where to send help.
• Don’t engage with strangers. This is great to role play in ‘what if’ situations with kids.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Pleasanton Department.

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