MERRIMAC, MASS. (WHDH) - Police in Merrimac are investigating after a child reported being approached by a suspicious person Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Officers responding to the area of Winter and Pine streets for a report of suspicious activity around 3 p.m. spoke with a 14-year-old boy who told them that he was walking home from his bus stop on West Main Street when a man pulled over next to him and offered him a ride, according to the Merrimac Police Department.
Police say the boy refused the ride and the vehicle pulled away.
The man was described as a clean-shaven, white, in his 50s with shoulder-length, graying hair. The boy told police that the man was also “missing a few of his teeth.”
He was said to be driving a white Honda SUV with Massachusetts or New Hampshire plates, with a sticker on the left side of the rear window.
“The young man, in this case, did the right thing by refusing a ride from a stranger and immediately reporting what happened,” police chief Eric Shears said. “This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of remembering the possible risks posed by strangers, and I encourage parents to remind their children to avoid talking to strangers and to never accept rides from someone they don’t know.”
An investigation is ongoing.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)