Man tried to grab boy from stroller in Elgin, police say

ELGIN, Ill. (WLS) -- Police are looking for a man who allegedly jumped out of a van and tried to grab a boy out of his stroller in west suburban Elgin.

Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the investigation has a lot of residents in the neighborhood shaken up, and worried about their own children.

The little boy was belted into the stroller's seat. His grandmother wrestled with an unidentified man on the corner of Gertrude and Morgan around 8 p.m. Thursday,

while crying for help.

"It was a struggle, her trying to pull the stroller away from the offender, who was trying to remove the child from the stroller," said Cmdr. Colin Fleury, Elgin Police Department.

The crime has left a young neighbor who just missed the confrontation afraid.

"I was really scared and also really don't want to live here anymore because this is really messed up, how someone would try to steal someone's child," said neighbor Sheza Baber.

Police say the 45-year-old grandmother took her grandson and granddaughter, who are both under the age of 8, out for an evening walk Thursday night when a white cargo van made a U-turn. It stopped in the street, and then a male passenger got out and approached her. When he was unable to take the child, he got back in the van and sped off.

"At this point we have no motive as to why this occurred we're still working on that. That is part of our investigation," Cmdr. Fleury said.

Bob Olmsted has lived in the area for 15 years and says this is the first time anything like this has happened.

"I think it's horrible that we have to be careful about stuff like that," Olmsted said. "It's a nice, quiet neighborhood."

The grandmother only gave police a vague description of the suspect. She cannot remember his facial features, or what he was wearing.

Elgin police are telling the community to stay alert and be vigilant.