WEST PENN TOWNSHIP -- Police in Schuylkill County are investigating an attempted abduction.
A 13-year-old girl was walking alone along Dairy Road near Tamaqua Tuesday around noon when a man pulled up and told her to get in.
She was able to run to a nearby store.
For the family of that 13-year-old girl it was a "pit in their stomach" feeling to have a child they love come running and screaming, "someone tried to get me in their car."
Police say that girl was fortunate to say that to her family, all because she did the right thing when she felt something was wrong.
"It's hard to describe. You just think, 'how can that be here?' It never happens, but it just did."
And it happened to Dan Romig's 13-year-old granddaughter as she went for a simple walk to his home.
The girl was walking here Dairy Road when a man in an SUV stopped her. He was talking quietly so she though he might need some directions. So she got a little closer, and when she did, that when she heard him say "get in!"
She knew something was wrong, so she sprinted straight to her parents auto repair shop just a few feet away.
"I just hope and pray that they get the guy, I really do," said the victim's grandfather Dan Roming. "She was shaken very badly but she's a strong girl."
When the girl fled into her parents auto shop, the man in the SUV actually drove into the lot and his car was captured on surveillance video.
The man's car is described as a black or dark green Honda CRV with tinted windows, a bug deflector on the hood, a roof rack, and a tire on the back.
"Be aware of where your kids are at all times," advised West Penn Township Officer Denna Krammes. "For the kids out there watching this, don't go with anybody that you don't know."
This incident is one of several in the area. Police in Northumberland County are still investigating three attempted child luring cases reported in May.
Police in Ashland are still looking for a man who lured a child off a playground and touched her inappropriately just two weeks ago.
Police wanted us to remind parents that it's a good idea to set up a code word with your child, so if someone picks them up, they would have to know that word for the child to go with them.
Also, talk with your children. Tell them if they find themselves in a similar situation to scream and run until they find a safe place.
Anyone with information is asked to call West Penn Township police in Schuylkill County at 570-386-1100.
