Riverdale sixth grader says stranger tried to lure him into car
“I don’t trust anybody anymore. The only person I trust is like my mom, my parents and my taekwondo master," says Guerrero.
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A child’s walk to taekwondo took a frightening turn in Riverdale when an 11-year-old boy says a stranger tried to lure him into his car.
News 12 exclusively spoke with sixth grader Israel Guerrero, who says he was on his way to class on Riverdale Avenue last Monday when a gray Tesla pulled up alongside him on West 260th Street.
Since the terrifying close call, Guerrero says he’s barely let go of his mother’s hand.
“I don’t trust anybody anymore. The only person I trust is like my mom, my parents and my taekwondo master," says Guerrero.
Guerrero is relieved he was able to escape.
“I knew something wasn’t right, so my instincts told me to run," he said.
He ran to Riverdale Avenue, where Lynn McGee spotted him crying.
“I stopped and asked him, 'Are you OK?' and he said, 'No, I’m not OK, someone just tried to pull me into their car,'" McGee said.
She walked him safely to his class.
His taekwondo master, Ronald Caaya, told News 12 he’s still shaken.
“I’ve never encountered where a stranger would try to entice a student to go inside his car and you know God knows what he’s planning to do,” Caaya said.
Guerrero’s mother says she’s grateful for McGee and has been searching the neighborhood to thank her.
"I’ve been looking for you in the neighborhood," she told McGee on the phone. "I want to say thank you for looking out for my son because he said there were other people, and they didn’t do nothing.”
She’s urging other families to take precautions.
“I see a lot of children in this neighborhood walking around by themselves and I think it’s really important to make sure that they’re careful.”
Police confirm they have opened a harassment investigation.
