Third Graders Run From Stranger Offering Rides

Two third grade students at Oak Terrace School in Highwood safely ran from a stranger offering them a ride home from school in two separate incidents last week, according to a report from the Highwood Police Department.

One student ran safely home and the other darted back into the school, according to the report. Both gave police a description of the man.

A man approached one of the students, 8, in front of the school located at 240 Prairie Ave. at approximately 3:25 p.m. Wednesday asking if the child wanted a ride home. The subject was on the south side of the street and came within two feet of the youngster before the child ran home, according to the report.

The third grader described the man as 5-7, in his mid 30’s with “spikey” hair, sunglasses and a hoop earring in his left ear. The man had a “3-D” tattoo of a star on his right forearm.

Two days earlier, the subject “matching the description provided by the (first) victim” approached another student, 7. “I know your dad, I can give you a ride home,” the subject said to the student, according to the report. The child turned and ran back into the school.

The school learned about the incidents Thursday morning and immediately reported it to police and sent an email to families, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune.

"The school has been working closely with police to ensure the safety of our students, including reviewing safety and dismissal procedures with staff, students and after-school activity providers, putting extra staff on duty before and after school for arrival and dismissal, and communicating with families and children about safety precautions," North Shore School District 112 Communications Director Andi Rosen said in an email reported in the Tribune story.