HARVEY (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - The attempted kidnappings of two children were reported about 24 hours apart this week near an elementary school in south suburban Harvey.
About 7:30 a.m. Monday, a 10-year-old boy was walking to summer school in the 14600 block of South Kentucky Street when a man brandished a weapon at him, said Sean Howard, spokesman for the city of Harvey.
The boy ran to the school and the man did not chase him, Howard said. The suspect was described as a slender black man of medium height with a fuzzy mustache and beard, wearing a hoodie and dark clothing.
At 7:37 a.m. Tuesday, another 10-year-old boy was walking to summer school in the 14900 block of South Center Street when a man approached and began chasing him, Howard said. The boy got away, and school officials immediately called an ambulance because it appeared he was having an asthma attack.
Both attempted kidnappings happened near Bryant Elementary School at 14730 S. Main St., which is conducting summer school. A robocall went out to parents informing them of what happened.
Harvey police have heightened their presence and visibility in the area, and are also conducting undercover operations. Howard cautioned students to walk on main streets and not take alleys or shortcuts.
“We hope to apprehend the subject or at least deter the subject from coming back into the city of Harvey,” Howard said.