Cops: SUV Stranger Offers Westport Girl, 13, Ride to School

At about 7:30 a.m. on Monday, a 12-year-old girl waiting for a school bus near Apple Tree Trail was approached by a suspicious man in a black SUV who offered to give her a ride to school, Westport police said.

Norwalk police recently have issued news releases about a suspicious man driving a dark blue van following school children in one case and offering one a ride in another.

As a result, Norwalk and Darien police have issued warnings to parents, students and teachers, asking them to be on the lookout and offering advice about what to do and not to do in similar circumstances.

A parent sitting in the car with her children saw the driver approach the students. Westport police checked the area but didn't find the driver's vehicle, which was black, with a gold-colored emblem on the rear tailgate. No one was able to provide police with the license plate number.

The event was witnessed by another parent who was sitting in a car with her children waiting for the same bus. A check of the area by patrol officers was unable to locate the suspicious vehicle or operator.