Chicago Ridge Police report they are placing extra patrols around various bus stops and local schools after the driver of a rusty pickup truck offered a student a ride.
On Monday morning, May 2, around 8:30 a.m., an elementary school student was waiting for a school bus near the corner of 98th St. and Nottingham Ave., when she reported an older model pickup truck stopped at the nearby stop sign. According to the student, the driver of the truck rolled down the window and asked the student if she needed a ride. The student responded “no” and the pickup truck left the area.
The student’s grandmother was sitting in a car waiting until her granddaughter got on the bus. Officers searched the area but did not find the described truck. Area schools were immediately notified of the incident.
Chicago Ridge police described the driver as a black male. He was the only occupant in the vehicle. Police are not sure what the driver said to the student, only to say it sounded like he asked if she needed a ride. The student attends a school in Ridgeland Dist. 122.
Police Chief Jim Jarolimek reported that the incident happened quickly. It seemed that man did not exit the vehicle. At this time, Chicago Ridge Police are looking to identify the driver, talk to him and inquire what exactly was said to the student.
Subsequently, Chicago Ridge Police patrols will maintain a stronger presence during pick-up and drop-off times at all school bus stops and in and around school premises.
Police are asking residents who saw the truck in the area, or caught something on their doorbell camera, to contact the Chicago Ridge Police Department at 708-425-7831 or call 911.
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