Man tried to lure 8-year-old boy into minivan in Irving Park

A man tried to lure an 8-year-old boy into a minivan Monday evening in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

The boy was standing on the sidewalk in front of his home about 7:10 p.m. in the 3600 block of North Whipple, waiting for his family to go to the park, when the man parked a minivan along the curb and asked if he wanted candy, according to a community alert from Chicago Police.

The boy said “no” repeatedly and ran across the street to a friend’s house, police said. The man drove away southbound on Whipple and the boy’s mother called 911.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic man between 30 and 40 years old with curly blond hair on the top of his head and dark hair on the sides, police said. He was wearing a navy blue polo shirt with a collar. The vehicle was a white minivan with a blue strip along the doors.

Anyone with information about the incident or the suspect should call Area North detectives at (312) 744-8200.