Terrified mum whose young son was nearly snatched by a strange man in the street reveals the disturbing question EVERY parent needs to teach their kids to notice
- Jess's nine-year-old son was grabbed by a man in Doncaster East, Melbourne
- The boy was playing hide and seek with friends when the man approached him
- Jess said he asked her son if he liked cars and candy before grabbing his arm
- The boy broke free and ran back to his mother who immediately called police
- Victoria Police have released an image of a man they believe can assist inquiries
A mother has revealed a hooded stranger who tried to abduct her son near a busy Melbourne shopping centre asked the boy if he liked 'candy' and 'cars'.
Jess and her nine-year-old son were at Tunstall Square, in Doncaster East, around midday Saturday when they ran into some friends.
The boy and the other children started playing hide and seek in the street outside the shopping centre, with Jess's son hiding behind a door way.
As he waited to be found, a man approached him from behind, asking the nine-year-old if he liked cars and candy before grabbing his arm.
Luckily, he was able to break free from the grasp of the man, who tried to grab him a second time before the boy ran to his mother.
Jess (pictured) is urging parents to have conversations with their children about keeping safe from potentially dangerous situations with strangers after son was grabbed by a man in a busy Melbourne shopping centre
The nine-year-old boy was playing hide and seek at Tunstall Square shopping centre (pictured) in Doncaster East, on Saturday when a stranger grabbed his arm
'He said someone had tried to grab him. He said a man has come up and asked him if he likes cars asked if he wanted to see his car,' Jess told 7NEWS.
'I was panicked. It could have been devastating'.
Jess immediately contacted police after her son told her about the incident.
She said he was not too shaken, but anticipates that will change once he comes to terms with the seriousness of the event.
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After the attempted snatching, Jess said her son told her he had remembered all of the safety tips she had taught him.
The mother is now urging parents to have conversations with their children about how to respond if they feel threatened by a stranger.
'I’m really proud of him. I didn’t even need to prompt him, he listed off the things he remembered,' she said.
Victoria Police have released a computer generated image of a man believed to be able to assist with inquiries into the attempted abduction of a child on Saturday
Victoria Police have released a computer-generated image of a man who they believe can assist with inquiries.
The man is said to be of Caucasian appearance, about 175cm tall with a medium build and scruffy beard.
He has brown eyes with scratches on his face, as well as a tattoo of a snake wrapped around his neck and profanities scrawled on his left hand.
Detectives from Manningham Crime Investigation Unit are urging witnesses or anyone with information regarding the incident to call Crime Stoppers.
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