Child claims stranger tried to take him

ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE) - It's a scary story from a little boy in Roswell who said a stranger tried to abduct him at a school bus stop.

The young boy said he ran away from the stranger. Now deputies in the area are searching for the vehicle he described.

It was just after 7 a.m. Wednesday when the 9-year-old boy was waiting for his school bus in southeast Roswell. Before the bus arrived, the boy said the driver of a red Jeep Cherokee pulled up, opened the door and tried to take him.

"We don't know what their motivation was obviously," said Lt. Britt Snyder of the Chaves County Sheriff's Department.  "No indication that the child knew the person, so we assume it's a complete stranger."

The boy said the driver told him to get in the car, and that's when he ran home. The boy's house is about a block away from his bus stop, and his family said they can usually keep an eye on him from the window.  

The boy's mom called 911 immediately, but sheriff's deputies were unable to locate the Jeep.
     
The incident has shaken neighbors who said plenty of children live in the area.

"We always look out for each other," said Kim Hunt.  "If there's something going wrong or going on, we're always texting or calling or something.  So we're always alerting each."

Hunt lives near the bus stop and said she tries to keep an eye on the kids while they wait. However, that morning, she didn't see the red Jeep pull up.

"It is very scary because its so close to home; it's just right here," she continued.  "It happened just a couple trailers down, so that is pretty scary."

Neighbors told KRQE News 13 East Grand Plains Elementary School sent home notes to parents notifying them to be on alert for a four-door red Jeep.
     
Snyder said who knows what would have happened had the boy not run away.

"It could go from not only telling him to get into the vehicle to somebody grabbing them and dragging them into the vehicle," explained Snyder.

Snyder said the boy had clearly been taught what to do in this situation.

"Yelling and screaming and trying to get somebody's attention, that's something parents can do to educate their children," Snyder said.

Deputies said they have heightened patrols in the area, and will continue trying to locate a possible red Jeep Cherokee with silver rims. Snyder also said the boy was also able to give a description of the driver.
     
The suspected driver is described as a Hispanic male with gray hair, a gray jacket and a goatee. Anyone with information is asked to call the Chaves County Sheriff's Department .