WHITEFISH BAY — A Whitefish Bay mother is sharing a safety message for families after her 10-year-old son reported a frightening encounter with a suspicious man while riding his bike Saturday morning.
According to the Whitefish Bay Police Department, the incident happened near Henry Clay Street and Berkeley Boulevard around 11:45 a.m. on May 30.
Watch: Why the mother of a 10-year-old boy in Whitefish Bay is urging other families stay vigilant after her son was suspiciously approached by a man on Saturday morning.
Police say the child reported that an unknown white man, believed to be around 19 years old and dressed in all black clothing, approached him while he was riding on the sidewalk and asked if he wanted a gift. The child told police the man then reached toward him.
The boy immediately rode away on his bike and told his parents what happened. Police say no physical contact was made and the child was not injured.
Amanda Rivera, the boy’s mother, says her son was riding home after spending time with a friend when the encounter happened.
“He was just laying on the light post and acting all casual until he approached my son,” Rivera said.
Rivera adds that her son knew not to stop for strangers and pedaled home as quickly as he could.
“I’m so proud of him as a young man to know that he did the right thing,” Rivera said. “He ran away and came home and told us.”
Rivera says she moved to Whitefish Bay five years ago because of the sense of safety in the neighborhood and notes this is the first incident like this she has experienced in the community.
“All the kids kind of bike by themselves or in groups and they have fun. It’s a safe area,” Rivera said.
Police say they immediately searched the area after the family contacted the department. Rivera adds that her son consistently described the same suspect during questioning.
“Every single time he said, ‘Yep, it was this guy. He looked this old. He was wearing this,’” Rivera said. “He was very descriptive and remembered what this guy looked like.”
Rivera says the incident sparked concern among neighbors, many of whom offered to look through their personal surveillance footage through a neighborhood Facebook group.
“Everybody has come on this Facebook page saying, ‘I have Ring camera, I have this, I have that,’” Rivera said. “It’s nice to see as a community that we came together to make sure this doesn’t happen again to anyone else’s kids.”
Whitefish Bay police say incidents involving the attempted abduction of a child by a stranger are extremely rare, but encourage residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
Rivera says the experience has changed how her son approaches being outside alone.
“I think it’s going to stick with him for just a little bit,” Rivera said. “He’s a little bit more timid on where he goes and how he goes.”
She now hopes the incident serves as a reminder for parents to continue having conversations about stranger danger and personal safety, especially as summer approaches and more children spend time outside.
Rivera says her family uses a safe word system so her children know whether someone picking them up can be trusted.
“If we don’t know who that person is, or if somebody’s picking them up, they ask for that safe word,” Rivera said.
Police ask anyone with information about the incident to contact the Whitefish Bay Police Department's non-emergency line at (414) 962-3830.
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