WEST JORDAN -- A 12-year-old girl from West Jordan said she was terrified when a man tried to lure her into his car Monday afternoon.
FOX13 spoke with the girl and her mother, but to protect their privacy, we are not releasing their full names.
“The guy said, ‘We have candy in the back seat, get in,’” said the girl.
She and her 9-year-old cousin were walking to the Maceys grocery store at 7859 S. 3200 West when a sedan pulled up next to them in the parking lot.
“He was more like calm, more like luring into the car,” she said. “Me and my cousin automatically knew to run. And we ran and we ran as fast as we could.”
The car followed them all the way to the store’s door, where they ran inside. The 12-year-old’s mother, Kristy, lives just blocks away and came immediately.
“I was shaking,” Kristy said. “What if she had got pulled into that car, my daughter was shaking, she was beat red, she was trembling.”
Authorities are calling the incident suspicious, speculating it may have just been a prank.
“Interestingly enough, shortly after this incident at the Maceys, the same kind of vehicle approached a fast food restaurant and threw some water at the employees in kind of a mischievous incident,” said Dan Roberts, Public Information Officer at the West Jordan Police Department.
For Kristy and her daughter, though, there was nothing funny about what occurred.
“I don’t care what they were doing,” Kristy said, “But they have terrified my daughter and my grandson. And they need to realize what they’re doing.”
They’re worried about what almost happened and what could happen again.
“I didn’t sleep all night last night,” said Kristy. “What if she would have got pulled into that car? What if?”
Authorities said the driver of the car is described as a male with dark skin and dark hair. The sedan could possibly be a Chevy Impala. Anyone with information is asked to call West Jordan Police at 801-840-4000.
