Crime & Safety

UPDATE: No Sign of Stranger in Van Approaching Kids, Police Say

Strange man in burgundy/maroon van told a young girl that she was part of his morning pickup while she was walking to Dunwiddie Elementary School. The man drove off, but police are looking for him.

Editor's note: This article was updated at 6 p.m. April 4 to include further information about the van driver's description from a witness who came forward after the initial incident.

Port Washington police say a man in a van who approached a kindergartener walking to school Tuesday morning has yet to resurface.

"We’ve been in the area and have not come across anything matching the description given to us," Port Washington Police Captain of Operations Mike Davel said. "Part of our problem was this was reported 12 hours late, and we’ve got no plates."

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School officials warned parents and students to be extra careful after the incident.

"The police department contacted us,"  Principal Diane Johnson said in an e-mail to parents. "It was reported that one of our kindergarten students was approached by a man (Hispanic or Arab) in a burgundy/maroon (fairly new) van on her walk to school. The man told the girl that she was part of his morning pickup.

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"The girl’s father was watching from a distance and ran up to the girl and the van left. He did not get a license plate number," Johnson added.

Though the man drove off, the is seeking help to find the man. Police departments in the surrounding jurisdictions were contacted about the incident and are aware of the description of the van — but so far, nothing has popped up, Davel said.

A couple days later, the school sent another message to parents.

"A parent stopped in today and reported that she remembers seeing the van in the area at the time of the incident," Johnson said in the e-mail. "The parent also remembers that the van was indeed burgundy/maroon and that there was yellow writing on the side of the van. (She does not recall what it said.) She also saw the person who was driving the van and reports it was a male who looked to be from India, in his 40s, with thin, short hair and a thin face.

If anyone has seen a van in the area that matches the description, police are asking residents to take its license plate number and call (262) 284-2611.

Johnson also advises parents have a conversation with their children about stranger safety. staff are aware of the situation and they are also keeping an eye out for the van.


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