St. Augustine mom after strangers tried to lure daughter: 'Our kids aren't safe anymore'

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office is looking for two men who tried to lure children to their car with candy.

The men were spotted outside an apartment on Whispering Woods Lane in St. Augustine on Saturday.

"I was very scared," victim Bella Palmer said.

Bella described to Action News Jax's Danielle Avitable how she felt when two men pulled up next to her in a dark blue SUV while she was playing outside.

"He said, 'Do you want a piece of candy?' I said 'No,'" Bella said.

And when she refused the candy from them, the 7-year-old said one of them got mad.

"I don't take pieces of candy from no one," Bella said.

That’s when Bella said she ran as fast as she could.

"When he was about to get out of the car, I was already running up the stairs. Then he was coming, so I locked the door," Bella said.

One of the men chased after her and said, “I’m going to get you.”

"Then I went in the house and locked the door," Bella said.

Bella's mother, Ashley Palmer, said she called for help.

"Obviously, we have a predator trying to kidnap our kids," Palmer said.

When officers were at the apartment complex, two other children, ages 8 and 9, said the same men offered them candy.

"Our kids aren't as safe anymore. We have all these people after our kids. What are we supposed to do?" Palmer said.

Right now, police only have a vague description of the men.

They said they are about 6 feet tall and around 240 pounds with buzzed haircuts.

The Sheriff’s Office said it will ramp up patrols in the complex until the men are caught.

Cox Media Group