AURORA, Colo. — It's a chilling warning from Aurora police. They're seeing an increase in reported child luring cases.
And with Halloween right around the corner, police are reminding parents to be on guard.
"It is alarming,” said APD spokesman Matthew Longshore. “We can't determine why, but luckily these kids were able to recognize that something was wrong."
It happened toJustin Kruger's daughter earlier this week.
"A small black car, which is how she describes it - pulled up next to the curb and opened the door and told them to get in the car," Kruger said.
His daughter and her younger sister screamed and ran away.
It also happened to Joe Johnson, also in the Mission Viejo neighborhood.
“I had two young girls run up into my garage asking for shelter until their dad arrived,” he posted on the neighborhood social network Nextdoor. “They said a car (red) possibly with a couple guys in it was trying to take them."
And yet another post from this past Tuesday in the same neighborhood reads: "My 3-year-old daughter was playing in the front yard. I walked inside for a split second and when I came out, (a white) van had crossed the street... (and) the passenger began to open the door. I yelled at my daughter to come to me... and the van sped away."
"We have had a few suspicious occurrences this past week that are very concerning to us," Longshore said.
These incidents serve as spooky reminder for parents with trick-or-treaters.
"We want to make sure that kids and parents only go to houses that are well-lit. We don't want kids to be able to go off on their own,” Longshore said. "There is safety in numbers when it comes to children. Develop a plan and make sure your kids know the plan."
Police say posting on social media can be useful.
"Nextdoor is a great tool,” Longshore said. “When neighbors start talking, good things happen. But, that's not where it needs to stop."
Police say calling them should always be your first line of defense.
"There may be an officer who is right around the corner that can respond within seconds,” Longshore said.