Man allegedly lures minors near Humboldt Park elementary school, Chicago police warn

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police have issued a warning about a child luring incident that happened near a Northwest Side school Saturday afternoon.

A male suspect whose age is in the late 30s to early 40s is wanted after he allegedly attempted to lure a minor, police said.

The incident happened between 3:30 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. in the 1000 block of North Keeler Avenue, police said. A 16-year-old girl and her 6-year-old nephew were at that location, the playground of Brian Piccolo Elementary School, when they were approached by the suspect.

The man spoke to the victim in Spanish, who did not understand him, police said. He attempted to lure the minors by gesturing them to move to a more secluded location on the playground, according to the victim.

The alert was upsetting but not surprising for some nearby residents.

"We see the activity that goes on here," resident Juan Nevarez said. "Even though the school is right across the street from us, and obviously there are cameras, but we don't really trust it."

The suspect was described to be 5-foot-2 to 5-foot-4 with a medium build and a shiny faded haircut parted to the side, wearing a red or pink long sleeve shirt, jeans and black shoe, police said.

"My son's 13 and he once in a while will be 'can I go out play with my friends?'" resident Hector Vargas said. "Especially with the new park. So now I'm going to sit here and think about it twice about letting him go out, because again, it doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl, they'll try to lure you out."

Nevarez said this recent incident reinforces his decision to not allow his two daughters to play at the school.

"I have a 14-year-old and a soon to be 8," Nevarez said. "So, I'm very cautious with them. So much stuff we see in social media, in a blink of an eye you turn around and the kid's gone. A van could come up and block my view and they're gone."

No one is in custody as police continue to investigate.

Anyone who spots the offender or has more information that may help the investigation are asked to call area detectives at 312-746-8251.

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