It happened at about 8:45 p.m. Monday in the 2500-block of West Morse Avenue in the West Rogers Park neighborhood.
Police say the girl was walking when a dark, four-door vehicle pulled up and a man with white hair and a beard asked if she wanted a ride. The girl said no, and then later felt the man press a hard object to her neck. The man led her into a gangway and pulled her to the ground and attempted to assault her.
"It's a very quiet neighborhood. When something like this happens, it's disturbing to us and I believe it's distrubing to the rest of the community," said Lutz Hantschel, resident.
Hantschel says at close to 10 p.m. on Monday night, police knocked on his door.
"The policeman came up to me and told me the incident that happened, that a young girl got dragged into our gangway here, and that our sensor lights came on and it scared the person off and he ran," said Hantschel. "I'm very happy that they're there, because it prevented somebody from getting hurt."
Residents say the neighborhood is usually quiet, and that neighbors stay in touch about communty happenings via e-mail.
"If I had a daugher, I'd probably be much more nervous than I am. This is a safe neighborhood, we don't necessarily have to be vigilant, vigilant, vigilant," said Tom Brennan, resident.
The suspect is described as a white male who speaks with an accent, and white hair and a beard. He is described as between 45-55 years old, six feet tall, and weighing between 240-260 pounds.
