Minooka youths elude abductors

MINOOKA -- A young boy escaped the clutches of a band of Hispanic women who tried to lure him into a pickup Thursday.

A pair of 11-year-olds were walking home about 4 p.m. when a pickup pulled up to them at the corner of McEvilly and Ridge roads.

One of the three women inside the truck swung the door open and beckoned for the boys to come inside. But the boys did not, and made it away to safety.

"Very intelligent kids, both of them," said police Chief Doug Hayse.

The truck continued north on Ridge Road.

A village police officer was parked in the lot of a nearby video store and witnessed the event. He reportedly assumed the boys knew the women inside the truck.

The boys said the women were in their early to mid-30s. The truck may be a Ford, possibly early 2000s, light green or silver, and has scratches on its side.

The women did not speak to the two youths, but the one only gestured.

"I don't know what their intent was," Hayse said.

The police caution residents to exercise vigilance, particularly during the Halloween season. Children should walk in groups or with adults and should not approach strange people or vehicles.

The police ask adults to not ask children for directions, and urge residents to report peculiar behavior to the department.