A man in a blue van attempted to abduct a student near her junior high school in Queens last week, according to police and officials.
The principal of Rego Park’s Stephen A. Halsey JHS 157 sent an email to parents Monday alerting them that a student had reported being approached by a stranger while she was walking home from her after-school program.
The creep stopped his van near the intersection of 62nd road and Yellowstone Boulevard — and asked the girl to get inside.
She said no and ran home for help.
The concerning incident took place at around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 17, according to police sources. The child reported the incident to the school the next day.
The police were called to JHS 157, and the student and parent filed a police report, according to the school.
“This communication intends to raise awareness of this specific situation and to remind all parents, guardians and students that Daylight Savings time is approaching, and it will get dark earlier in the afternoon,” principal Vincent Suraci wrote in the memo to parents, which also provided safety guidelines for students.
Suraci and school officials said they “strongly urge” children to travel to and from schools with an adult or in group, to not use headphones, to stay on populated routes and not to speak with strangers.
School officials have cautioned parents to look out for strangers giving anything to students. Google Maps“If you feel unsafe, leave the area immediately and, if approached in a threating [sic] manner, call out, ‘Leave Me Alone!'” read the email.
Suraci also encouraged families to never take anything — “especially candy, chewing gum or a toy from an unknown adult,” it added.
The school will also review the safety guidelines with students at the school this week, officials said.
The Department of Education referred an inquiry from The Post to the NYPD, which confirmed an investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made.
Parents were left shaken by the attempted abduction.
“My child walks home from the bus by herself. I don’t feel like that’s safe, even in broad daylight,” a parent of a sixth grader at the school told The Post Tuesday. “She wants to be independent. She wants to walk home from school by herself. She wants to be independent, but this is what makes mommy nervous for you.
“I’ve been trying to ease up a little bit…,” the parent added. “I was thinking about letting her and a friend go to café by themselves — but now I’m reconsidering that.’”
The incident comes as the New York City public schools are looking to ramp up safety protocols this term, including a pilot program to lock the schools’ front doors that has started at a few locations, according to the Staten Island Advance. The DOE did not answer questions about that program from The Post.
