KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Kissimmee police are looking for a man they say tried to lure a 7-year-old girl into his car as she was walking to school Thursday morning.
The girl said she was walking on Mabbette Street to Thacker Avenue Elementary around 7:40 a.m. when a man in a white four-door vehicle with tinted windows approached her and said, "Come into my car," according to a news release.
"She said, 'No thank you,' and was very polite about it," Stacie Miller with Kissimmee police said.
Police said the girl continued walking to school as the man trailed behind her. She then ran away from the area, according to authorities.
"This young lady did it correctly. She was very polite, she said no thank you. As the car kept following her, she took off and ran and she alerted administrators immediately so we were able to get involved," Miller said.
Miller said the man did not get out of the car or grab the girl.
"We want to find out who this person is before he decides to take that next step," Miller said.
The man is described as being in his late 20s to early 30s, with brown hair and a beard.
News 6 spoke to parents and people who live in the neighborhood. They said they're concerned because a lot of kids walk to school in this area.
"It's scary because oh my gosh, so many kids are walking with bikes and stuff. It's horrible," parent Heidy Perez said.
Police said the little girl was shaken up, but is OK.
"Her awareness snapped right in and she ran off. Good for her, good for her," Allen Perry, who lives off Mabbette Road, said.
Osceola County Public School officials said faculty and staff at Thacker Avenue Elementary are reviewing safety tips Thursday for students walking or biking to school.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Kissimmee Police Department at 407-846-3333 or seeitsayit@kissimmee.org, or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).