Man sought after trying to lure child into pickup in Orange County

Woman witnesses incident, yells at driver

ORLANDO, Fla. – A man tried to lure a 5-year-old boy into his pickup truck Thursday morning in Orange County, deputies said.

The attempted luring was reported at 10:45 a.m. on Journal Avenue near Clarcona Ocoee Road and Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the boy was playing in front of a house with his siblings when a man drove up in an older model Chevrolet pickup truck.

The man stopped in front of the home and called to the boy, telling him to get into his vehicle.

The boy's cousin, a 29-year-old woman, witnessed the incident and yelled at the driver, who left in an unknown direction, deputies said.

"Thank God that my cousin didn't go get in the truck with him," she said. "It's scary."

She reported an attempted kidnapping, and detectives are investigating.

The boy's father, who has lived in the neighborhood his whole life, was home at the time of the incident. He said he's never experienced a situation like this before.

"It's crazy. I's absurd. This guy needs to learn you can't go around and try to snatch up little kids," he said. "If that guy had grabbed my son, there's no telling where he would be at."

The boy's father said he is teaching his son to be wary of strangers and is thankful his family is safe.

No other details, including a description of the driver, have been released.


About the Authors:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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