Police investigating attempted abduction of 2 children in Gilpin

Southern Armstrong Regional police are investigating a report of an attempted abduction Wednesday of two juveniles in the 300 block of Route 66 near the Dollar General in Gilpin.

Police received a report at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday of an older, white man with long, dark hair driving a tan minivan approaching a teen girl and elementary school-aged boy.

The children were walking alone when the alleged incident occurred, police said.

In a Facebook post, officials asked for the public’s help to identify the man they said attempted to lure the children into his vehicle. When the children refused to cooperate, the driver reportedly circled the juveniles in his vehicle, police said.

The children told an adult, who then contacted police, said Southern Armstrong Regional Police Chief Chris Fabec.

Later Wednesday evening, police pulled over a a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s . The traffic stop proved unsuccessful, police said.

“We believe this to be an isolated incident, however we are taking precautions to ensure the safety of the children,” police wrote in the Facebook post.

Leechburg Area School District Superintendent Tiffany Nix alerted district parents about the incident in an email sent out around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Nix added that the two children are not enrolled in Leechburg Area schools.

Fabec said police patrols would be increased during school bus stop hours for the foreseeable future in Freeport, Gilpin and Ford City, out of an abundance of caution.

As of Thursday afternoon, no arrests had been made but Fabec said police were investigating a few leads generated by recent press on the incident.

Officials urged Gilpin residents to report any suspicious activity and asked anyone with information on this ongoing investigation to call 911, not the police station.

“With increased patrols, please call 911 because officers are likely to be out patrolling and not at the station,” Fabec said.