DRAPER, Utah — Draper police have sent out a public safety alert after a middle school student was approached by strangers while walking home from school.
The alert said the girl was walking home Tuesday near the intersection of Rambling Road and Highland Drive when two men inside a pickup truck pulled up and said they had been sent by her mother to pick her up.
According to the alert, the girl wisely told the suspects that she would call her mother to confirm, leading to the vehicle to drive off.
Police are gathering more information on the suspects and vehicle that will be shared with the public.
Tuesday's incident was the first directly reported to the Draper Police Department, but the alert said there have been "other situations recently related to suspicious interactions between strangers and children that have come to the department’s attention due to community discussion on social media."
Anyone with information on these incidents is urged to call the police department at 801-840-4000.
Officials offered these tips to help keep children safe:
- Don’t go anywhere with someone you don’t know. Choose a code word between parents and children that is only known to them to verify information.
- Don’t take anything from strangers.
- Trust your instincts, if you feel you are being followed or something is not right, seek help immediately.
- Use the buddy system, avoid walking anywhere alone.
