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Police want to question man who tried to pick up teen at Sanford bus stop

SANFORD, Fla. — Police in Sanford want to track down a man they said tried to get a 15-year-old girl into his car while she was walking to the school bus stop Friday morning.

The incident happened on Live Oak Boulevard about 6 a.m., officers said.

The man told the girl to come closer to his car and asked her if she wanted a ride to school, but she was able to get away when another vehicle pulled up, officers said.

Because the girl was more than 15, police said it is not considered an attempted abduction, but they are still calling the situation suspicious.

Sanford Police Capt. Jim McAuliffe said police want to talk to the man to see what his intentions were.

"This doesn't constitute a crime, however, it is extremely suspicious and problematic," said McAuliffe.

"Anytime somebody, especially in the dark, comes up against a young person who they don't know and offers to give them a ride in today's climate, it's suspicious. "

Resident Carl Collins said he knows almost everyone in the area's Home Owner's Association, and he has never heard of something similar happening.

"I'm just really surprised, but it's a disgrace though that we've got people going around and taking kids," Collins said.

The man is describes as white with a wrinkled face, white or gray hair, a mustache and a gray beard and brown eyes.

Authorities said he was driving a small, red vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sanford Police Department.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, about 2,000 children are reported missing every day, but only a small fraction, less than 1 percent of those, are abducted by a stranger.