A routine Tuesday morning walk through Portage Park turned into a terrifying close call for a 13-year-old girl, who escaped an attempted kidnapping on Chicago's Northwest Side and sprinted into a nearby building to get help, officials said.
What police say
According to the Chicago Police Department, the encounter happened between about 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. in the 4100 block of North Central Avenue. A man walking a gray or black dog allegedly tried to lure the girl as she passed through the area. Police described the suspect as a white man between 50 and 60 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a gray goatee, last seen wearing a tan or brown oversized T-shirt and long shorts. The girl ran into a nearby building and alerted park officials, and the suspect took off before officers got there. The incident and description were reported by the Chicago Police Department and FOX 32 Chicago.
Neighbors on alert
The scare comes on top of a recent run of unsettling incidents along the same stretch of North Central, and neighbors say nerves are wearing thin. In April 2024, police issued a community alert after a man tried to force a teenager into a car at a bus stop, as reported by ABC7 Chicago.
More recently, local coverage has flagged other safety worries in the area, including a June 2 alleged child-sex assault at a Portage Park store and a wave of burglaries tied to a late-night prowler. Those cases were highlighted in reports on an alleged child-sex assault at a Portage Park store and a late-night burglar creeps through Dunning homes.
How to help
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the attempted kidnapping to contact Area 5 investigators at 312-746-6554 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com and reference case No. JK314535, according to FOX 32 Chicago. If you or a child are in immediate danger, police stress that you should call 911.
Guidance from the Chicago Police Department urges residents to save any doorbell or security-camera footage and share it with detectives rather than trying to confront possible suspects. Even a few seconds of video, they note, can help move an investigation forward.
