Parents, children told about kidnap attempt

Honowai Elementary School officials placed parents and students on alert Wednesday after an unidentified man tried to kidnap two students on Monday.

Police said the incident took place about 2 p.m. as the children walked home from the school in Waipahu. A man approached and told them he was a friend of their mother’s and was sent to pick them up.

The mother arrived at the school in time to see her children get into the dark sedan and followed it until she was able to block the car. She got her children out and the man drove off.

Police described the man as 30 to 40 years old; he was driving a 2003 Volkswagen Passat.

Kent Matsumura, the school’s principal, said the students — a 7-year-old girl in third grade and a 5-year-old boy in kindergarten — were approached about 45 minutes after the end of the school day.

He said children in the third grade or older are allowed to leave on their own and take their younger siblings with them.

Police told him the mother went looking for her children when they didn’t come home. Officers also said the man apparently told the children their mother was in the hospital or had a doctor’s appointment, Matsu­mura said.

The school was notified after the mother reported the incident to police Tuesday.

On Wednesday, school officials sent a letter home with students to inform parents of the incident.

The letter included a list of safety tips, such as warning children to keep an arm’s reach away from strangers and urging parents to create a secret code so that children do not go with anyone who doesn’t know the secret code.

"We take everything seriously when it comes to the safety of our kids," Matsumura said. "We’ll use it (the incident) as an opportunity to remind everyone about safety."

Charee Reyes said her teacher reminded the students to scream if a stranger grabs them.

"It was kind of scary when I was walking home with my brother," said Reyes, 10, who lives across the street from the school, as she walked home Wednesday and saw a man looking at her from a car. Her father Matt Reyes said he usually watches his children walk home, mostly out of concern about traffic, but after reading the letter from the school, he plans to walk them home today.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.