Police in Daytona Beach need the public's help to find a man they say dressed as a priest and tried to lure a boy into his van.
The incident happened Tuesday afternoon near a school bus stop in the 400 block of North Halifax Avenue, near Ora Street.
The incident was reported around 2:30 p.m., right when school got out.
The boy's mother did not want to be identified, but she did want to warn parents.
“He was wearing a priest uniform like the clergy, but he was not a priest,” she said.
Police said the stranger dressed as a priest tried to lure her 10-year-old son into his minivan.
“He said come on, you want some candy?" she said. "And he said no and he started to walk away and the guy was very persistent. Luckily, my neighbor seen what was happening and he got out of the car and yelled you don’t know him.”
The neighbor's name is Frank Pompey. Pompey was picking up his own son from the bus stop and saw the driver eagerly trying to get the boy in the Honda Odyssey.
“He was making hand signals, like 'get in the car' and stuff like that," Pompey said. "So I just decided to sit there, wait and watch, keep an eye on things because he was a complete stranger.”
Pompey said he is thankful the boy did not get hurt, but he wishes he could have caught the guy.
“When I asked him what was going on and he said exactly what I was suspecting, what I figured, that’s when I said, 'ok that seals the deal, let me go get him.' Couldn’t catch him though,” said Pompey.
Police said the man they are looking for appears to be in his early 30s, has short hair and light brown skin and some facial hair. He was wearing a black shirt with a clerical collar.
Police said the man was driving a silver van similar to a Honda Odyssey on North Halifax Avenue. The van had an unknown specialty tag.
If see the van, call Daytona Beach police at 386-671-5100.