Police investigating stranger incident in Barrington

Barrington police are investigating a report of a stranger offering a 13-year-old girl a ride in his vehicle as she walked home from school Friday afternoon.

The girl was walking from her bus stop at Dundee Avenue and Lake Street in Barrington at approximately 3:30 p.m. when a man driving an older model dark colored Chrysler Town & Country minivan made a U-turn and stopped in the street to talk to her, police said.

He offered to give her a ride home or wherever else she wanted to go.

When the girl refused the ride, the man stopped the car, according to police. The girl ran home and told her father.

Police immediately searched the area but could not locate the vehicle or man. The man was described as white, 40 to 50 years old, heavy set with white hair and a beard.

Though there have been recent reports of strangers in vehicles approaching children in Algonquin and Carpentersville, Barrington police don’t believe Friday’s incident is related to those.

Police are reminding families to reinforce basic rules of safety with their children when approached by strangers. They also warn that children should first protect themselves before concentrating on obtaining a description of the stranger or vehicle.

Children should especially be warned never to walk up to the car of a stranger or walk off with a stranger, to call 911 immediately if they have a cellphone and walk with a friend or group of fellow students whenever possible.