Grayslake shaken after child escapes attempted abduction

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A child walking home from school was able to avoid an attempted abduction when two men approached them in a van on Friday in suburban Grayslake.

According to police, the child was walking in the 700 block of Cherry Creek Drive when they were approached by a dark-colored minivan, occupied by two men.

One of them, described as standing approximately 5-feet-8 inches tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds, got out of the van and attempted to grab the child and drag them inside the vehicle.

The child was able to escape, and the vehicle fled the area.

The suspect was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a blue surgical mask, according to police.  

No suspects are in custody in connection with the case, and police have stepped up patrols in the area after the abduction attempt.

Two similar incidents also occurred in suburban Round Lake on Jan. 23, according to police. There, authorities say a man attempted to lure juveniles into a dark-colored Toyota Sienna minivan in the first block of MacGillis Drive, but both were able to escape unharmed.

Police have not established a link to the Grayslake incidents, with the suspect in this case being described as a man standing 5-feet-2 inches tall, with a slender build and short facial hair. He was wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt and blue jeans, police said.

Anyone with information is urged to immediately call police.

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