JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax spoke with parents in East Arlington after Lone Star Elementary School issued a warning about a stranger who tried to lure a student last week.
According to a message Principal Cheryl Quarles-Gaston sent to families, the student was walking to school when a blue van approached them Friday morning.
The child managed to escape safely and arrived at school unharmed.
Nearby resident and mom, Theresa Gibson, who lives near Lone Star, tells Action News Jax she saw a blue minivan which she says was marked “Comcast”, driven by a man.
“And he’s staring, like staring. I don’t know what he was doing through the window and that really creeped me out,” said Gibson. “And I’m a small person. I’m 5 foot tall, so I’m not sure if they thought I was a child,” Gibson added.
Gibson then took down the car’s license plate and posted about the encounter on neighborhood watch site Nextdoor.com.
People commenting online connected the van to the attempt to lure the child near Lone Star Elementary. “And another commentator said ‘that’s the exact same license plate,’” Gibson recalled.
The school then posted safety information for families, including using the buddy system, avoiding walking alone, and never approaching strangers in cars.
On Wednesday morning, Saif Fradi was outside Lone Star, doing his usual routine to keep his daughter safe.
“I come every single day. I wait right here in the exact same spot and I wait for her to cross the street until she enters the school. That’s when I leave the area,” Fradi explained.
Lone Star father Kevin Price has three children under the age of 12. Reports of a suspicious van make him worry about human trafficking.
“Fearful,” said Price. “Florida is a port to be able to go to the Bahamas to be able to go to these different countries and you’ll never be able to see your kids again,” Price warned.
“I bring my kids to school every morning just because I understand the importance of young black girls and young black men. How they’re using them in these sex rings,” Price went on to explain.
Lone Star Elementary’s principal also advised parents that if a stranger attempts to grab a student, the child should drop to the ground, kick, hit, bite and scream.
The principal added children should yell specific phrases such as “this is not my dad or mom” to attract attention. Parents should also remind children to try to remember the license plate number if a vehicle follows them and to report the incident immediately to a trusted adult.
It’s important safety information Saif’s daughter, Alia, 9, already puts into practice.
“I don’t talk to any strangers and open the door for one unless it’s my parents, but I always make sure it’s my parents just by calling them,” Alia said.
“Don’t go to talk to strangers or hop in their cars unless you know them,” Alia added.
Action News Jax has requested the report from JSO to get more information about the incident. When we have more, we will update you.
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