Bethlehem police are searching for a driver who tried to lure a child into an SUV as part of a possible kidnapping

Police in Bethlehem Township are asking for the public’s help in finding a masked driver who tried to lure a child walking home from a school bus stop into an SUV on Friday in what authorities described as a possible kidnapping attempt.

The girl was in the area of ​​2nd and Washington streets around 2:35 p.m. when a new blue Ford Explorer driven by the masked man approached, Bethlehem Township police said Tuesday.

According to witnesses, the child fled to safety. The man in the SUV, who was wearing a full-ski mask, drove toward one of the witnesses but did not exit his vehicle or speak to the person.

Police said the driver of the SUV then fled north on 2nd Street before turning right and heading east on Freemansburg Avenue. The SUV may have had a temporary tag that had not yet been activated. Investigators are still working to identify the owner.

Anyone with information about what police are calling a possible child abduction is asked to call Sgt. Kirk Harryn at 610-814-6468 or email him at [email protected].