DALLAS COUNTY, Texas — Editor's note: The video above is an updated version of what was initially posted, with the license plate blurred, after police said all involved individuals were minors and detectives do not believe there is a threat to the public. The Dallas Police Department gave an update on August 21 that their investigation had concluded, and it was determined that no attempted kidnapping offense occurred and no charges have been filed, which you can read here.
Surveillance video shows a man jumping out of a car and apparently trying to kidnap a young boy playing outside with his friends.
A few hours earlier, another incident occurred involving a suspicious vehicle trailing a high school student.
Both safety incidents involved Richardson ISD students and now the district, along with police, are urging parents to stay vigilant.
In the first incident, Richardson Police received a report around 8:30 a.m. about a suspicious vehicle that may have been following a student who was walking to J.J. Pearce High School.
On the 900 block of Melrose Drive, home surveillance video showed a dark 4-door Toyota Corolla driving up and down the street several times, slowing down each time. At one point, the windows were rolled down. The video soon showed the student hiding behind a tree, and then hiding behind a car before knocking on a neighbor's door for help.
That neighbor was Shane Burke.
"She was visibly shaken, upset," said Burke. "For something like this to happen in the neighborhood is completely unacceptable."
Burke said his wife helped drive the student to J.J. Pearce, where she was heading to tour her new school. Burke sent all his surveillance footage to the police and shared it with neighbors too.
Richardson Police on Thursday said it investigated the case and confirmed that the driver did not have any direct contact with the student.
"While the driver’s behavior is concerning, there were no criminal elements present to warrant charges," police said in a statement.
Six hours after the reported incident in Richardson, in a neighborhood six minutes away on Old Pond Drive, Dallas Police received a call about an attempted kidnapping.
Police said the preliminary investigation determined a group of children were outside when they were approached by a young man in a white SUV. Police said he asked one of the children to look at something in the back of his car. When the child ran, police said the man chased him a short distance.
At the same time, the child's mother stepped out onto the front porch.
"All of a sudden, the door flies open and I hear the boys yelling," said Genna Skolnik.
In her home surveillance footage, the other boys screamed, "Someone's trying to kidnap him! Someone's trying to kidnap J." As Skolnik rushed out, she called for her son to get inside the house.
"One of the cars reversed back," said Skolnik. "A big man in a white shirt was chasing him."
As seen in the video, when the man saw Skolnik, he turned around and got back inside the white Toyota Four-Runner. The vehicle drove off.
Dallas detectives said they've identified all the individuals involved and they're all minors. No arrests have been made and they don't believe there is a threat to the public.
However, the investigation is ongoing.
In the meantime, Richardson Independent School District has notified parents of the two situations that occurred in the Pearce Learning Community.
"District safety and security staff will have an increased presence in the PHS area at dismissal [Tuesday] and over the next several days," said RISD in a statement.
The district is encouraging parents to speak with their children about walking and stranger safety.
- If walking to or from school, walk with a parent or responsible adult when possible.
- Walk in groups, and take a path to school that avoids alleys and deserted or enclosed places.
- Do not interact with strangers or accept anything from them.
- If anything out of the ordinary occurs on the way to or from school, run to a safe place and report it to a trusted adult, staff member or parent immediately.