SPRINGFIELD — A video has been shared thousands of times on social media.
Behind the camera is a Springfield man who said he witnessed someone inside a van trying to lure a teenager inside, but police claim they have not had a single complaint.
News Center 7’s Katy Andersen spoke to Kevin Johnson, the man who took the video.
“So listen, whoever is watching this right now, share this, share this,” he said.
Johnson said he was out walking his dog on Sunday when he saw a white van pull up next to a young teen girl.
“The van pulls up next to her, they talked maybe 10 seconds and I scream across the street, ‘get away from them they are going to try and take you,’” Johnson said.
The girl then ran, and the driver sped off.
That’s when Johnson said he grabbed his keys and started to chase the van, all while live streaming on Facebook.
His post has gained a lot of attention, with many saying they are now fearful for children’s safety.
“We’ve had this for probably about a year, people saying there is a white van trying to pick up females,” Lt. Lou Turner of the Springfield Police Division said. “We have never had a complaint saying somebody tried to pick them up.”
Police did get a report from Johnson, but never a call or report from the girl Johnson said he saw talking to the person in the van.
When police check up on such incidents, Turner said, “it’s always ‘it did happen’ and then you go talk to them and it’s ‘oh, well it happened to a friend’ or ‘i heard this from a friend.’”
Officers have talked to the men in the white van, who told police they are in the area for work.
“Everything so far is in the clear. Everything has been up and up,” Turner said.
Johnson said he doesn’t believe it.
“There’s no way. I know what I seen and I know the way they took off from me when I said something,” he said
But one police do say, is that people need to be aware of their surroundings.
“You don’t want to be careless with your children, of course, but it’s not an epidemic,” Turner said. “We don’t have a rash of kidnappings or child abductions at this time, so just be vigilant.”
Anyone who sees something suspicious or is a victim to a crime like this is urged to call police immediately to report it.