Stranger Danger: Man In Cargo Van Targeting Young, White Boys

HAMBURG TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - Police in Livingston and Washtenaw County are alerting parents after several incidents in their neighborhoods of men trying to lure children into a van.

In all four incidents, which began Saturday, police say the suspect targeted white male children between the ages of 4 to 12. Three of the incidents involved a white cargo van, while the fourth vehicle was described as a grey minivan. In every instance, the suspect is described as a white male in his 20s.

Police say a 12-year-old boy was approached around 2 p.m. in Hamburg Township, in the Hay Creek subdivision near M-36 & McGregor Road, by a man at the wheel of a grey minivan who asked if he wanted a ride home.

A 9-year-old boy was also approached around 9 p.m Sunday in Dexter Township, near Orchard Street and Portage Lake Avenue, by a man in a white cargo van. The boy said he was riding his bicycle when the driver exited the vehicle and told him to get in the van. At this time, another man exited the van, but didn't say anything to the child. The boy fled on his bicycle and immediately told his mother what happened. The suspect in this incident was described as wearing a black shirt and grey sweatpants.

The Livingston County Sheriff's Department also received two similar complaints involving a white cargo van. These two incidents occurred in Putnam Township in the area of Cedar Lake Road and M-36, and Cedar Lake Road and Patterson Lake Road.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office at 734-973-4874, the Livingston County Sheriff's Department at 517-546-2440, or Crime Stoppers' anonymous tip line at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.