YARMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - Yarmouth police are turning to the public for help identifying a suspect after a boy said he was nearly kidnapped in the parking lot of a local business on Saturday.
Officers responding to a reported attempted kidnapping outside the Dollar General about 4 p.m. spoke with the victim who said that he was approached by an older man who claimed to have candy for him in his van, according to Yarmouth police.
The boy said the man extended his arm in an attempt to guide him to his parked minivan, which was nearby with its sliding door open.
The boy ran to his friend’s house and told that boy’s mother. She, in turn, called the police.
“As a parent, I’m scared,” said Athena Thomas. “I’m fully aware kidnappings on the Cape are real. Sex trafficking on the Cape is real. It’s scary.”
Yarmouth police released surveillance images of the suspect on Monday.
He was last seen wearing a white shirt and green shorts. The van was tan.
He is described as being between the age of 40 and 50 with a shaved head and a close beard that was dark with spots of silver and white.
“We captured a good picture of the man, and now we want to identify him,” Yarmouth Deputy Police Chief Steven Xiarhos said. “We are police officers. We are family people. But you know what, we’re also proud of our town.”
Anyone with information is urged to call Yarmouth police at 508-775-0445 extension 0 or extension 2134.
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