Another Man Tries to Lure Children into Car

A man wearing sunglasses driving a white Jeep Cherokee tried to lure a boy into his car in the early afternoon in Keflavík, southwest Iceland, on Monday, saying that he wanted to show him Lego.
The boy ran away and his mother notified local police authorities who are investigating the case. This is one of many such incidents that have occurred in the vicinity of Reykjavík in the past days and the police ask people to be on the alert, ruv.is reports.

The police in Hafnarfjördur are investigating three cases of a fat young man, or two men, driving an old blue car, possibly American, trying to lure children into the car with a made-up story of their mother having had an accident. All the children got away.

Björgvin Björgvinsson, senior officer of the Reykjavík Metropolitan Police’s sex crimes department, said the police take these matters very seriously but don’t exclude the possibility that they are an ugly prank. They will be investigated thoroughly.

According to Morgunbladid, in November 2004 a nine-year-old girl was lured into a car in Kópavogur. The driver told her that her mother was in hospital and that he would drive her there.

He left her on Mosfellsheidi on the way to Thingvellir national park, a rather unfrequented area at that time of year, but luckily the driver of a jeep noticed her.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone to be there in the raging storm and sleet from the southeast. She was soaked and shivering from the cold,” the driver of the jeep, Sigurdur Ásgeirsson, told Morgunbladid at the time.

It was the early evening and it had turned dark; one car had already passed by the waving girl. It is considered lucky that the driver spotted her; otherwise she might have suffered hypothermia and died.

Morgunbladid pointed out that there are no indications that these cases have any connection, even though the same pretext was used by the perpetrators.

Another Case of a Man Trying to Lure Child into Car

The principals of the Seltjarnarnes Elementary School and Melaskóli in western Reykjavík sent a letter to their students’ parents yesterday, informing them of a man who had tried to lure a young girl into his car at the intersection of Neshagi and Hofsvallagata on Tuesday evening.
According to the girl’s description, the police believe this may be the same man who has attempted to lure children into cars in Hafnarfjördur and Keflavík recently, Morgunbladid reports.

However, descriptions in recent reports vary: in Hafnarfjördur the man was said to be driving an old, blue car and in Keflavík a white jeep. This time, the car was described as green.

The perpetrator offered the girl candy but she cycled straight home and notified her parents, who contacted the police. Parents are asked to discuss with their children how to react in such situations.