OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A scary situation unfolded in a northwest Omaha neighborhood early Tuesday evening, but smart thinking by a neighborhood kid prevented anything worse from happening. The sheriff's office is now reminding parents to be alert.
- 10-year-old Sebastian said he was out riding his bike with a friend when the van pulled up and the driver started talking to him.
- The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is still looking for the driver. Authorities described the suspect as a man with a darker complexion, dark hair, and facial hair pulled up in a white Mercedes van.
- The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information to call its tip line at 402-444-6000. Or email dcsotips@douglascounty-ne.gov.
- If you want to remain anonymous, you can call Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP (7867).
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Home security cameras captured a white van driving slowly past homes shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday in the neighborhood near 162nd and Whitmore Streets.
"I thought this was something that we didn't even deal with anymore," said Kim Beebe, a parent in the neighborhood.
"It's a little close to home, but we are going to take some safety precautions so that we can keep the neighborhood safe and keep our eyes out," said James Krenk, a parent in the neighborhood.
10-year-old Sebastian said he was out riding his bike with a friend when the van pulled up and the driver started talking to him.
"He said your mom told me to come pick you up, she said you were in the neighborhood, and he's like why don't you come back on in, and he's like telling me how they are like old good friends or something," Sebastian said."Right as he says, hop in the van, I like know, so I just start peddling as fast as I can."
His mom, Alicia Macken, said she's proud of her son's quick thinking.
"It's heartbreaking," Macken said. "They are outside riding bikes, without a parent, you know, in this neighborhood that you think is safe," said Alicia Macken, Sebastian's mom.
Parents I talked to said the incident has sparked conversations with their own kids.
"Making sure they are using, used to use the word situational awareness, but really that is it," Krenk said.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is still looking for the driver. Authorities described the suspect as a man with a darker complexion, dark hair, and facial hair pulled up in a white Mercedes van.
Sheriff Aaron Hanson reminds parents to talk to their kids about stranger danger. He suggests having a safety phrase as a family so your child can verify with the person picking them up.
The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information to call its tip line at 402-444-6000. If you want to remain anonymous, you can call Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402-444-STOP (7867).
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