NORFOLK, VA (WTKR/CNN) – Parents said a red van was spotted near Crossroads Elementary School Thursday afternoon.
The driver is accused of trying to lure children with candy.
Parents are staying vigilant to prevent a nightmare from coming true: their child being abducted.
"There are kids in this back neighborhood … that like to walk around this area, definitely a lot of them," said parent Adam Sanders.
Norfolk Public Schools were quickly notified after a man in a red van was spotted right outside Crossroads Elementary Thursday. The school system alerted parents at Crossroads and eight nearby schools by robocall.
This message is to alert you to a potentially dangerous situation. Norfolk Public Schools has received a report of a man in the vicinity of Crossroads School attempting to lure children with candy. We are alerting all schools in close proximity of this location. We are working with the Norfolk Police Department to monitor this concern. In response, additional police officers will patrol the area around the school. Norfolk Police take the safety and security of our students and our community seriously.
Additional police officers are now patrolling the area.
Karen Sciance, a teacher at McLeah Preschool next door to Crossroads Elementary, said it’s an everyday task to make sure children are kept safe.
"It's a pretty small building,” Sciance said. “It's a small school and we have a small property, and [the students are] pretty good at following directions."
Sciance said the majority of parents walk their children to school or pick them up.
"Got to keep an eye on your kids because there's a lot of sick people," Sciance said.
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