Police in the small Oklahoma town of Muskogee say there have been three attempted abductions of school children reported in the last four days. 

While none of the abduction attempts have been successful, Lincoln Anderson, Muskogee Police public information officer, said all the attempts happened while children were on their way to or from school and all the children ran away.

The most recent was an attempt Thursday to abduct a 12-year-old boy while he was waiting for a ride to school.

The 12-year-old ran away when a stranger in a maroon Pontiac with front-end damage approached him, offering candy, Anderson said. The driver was described as a white male wearing glasses and balding.

Two other attempted abductions reportedly happened on Monday and Wednesday, involving two white males in a white Ford Focus.

“It sounds like all the incidents are related, but we can’t substantiate that yet,” Anderson said.

“Parents need to make sure kids understand that if they’re approached by a someone they don’t know, don’t stay in that situation,” he said.

Anderson said there are strengths in numbers, recommending that children keep in groups and, if possible, keep a known adult around.

Grimwood writes for the Muskogee, Oklahoma Phoenix.