Police Issue Safety Reminder After Suspicious Incident at Maui School

File photo by Wendy Osher.

Maui police reminded the public of safety measures amid a report of suspicious activity fronting Pōmaikaʻi Elementary School in Kahului on Monday.

Police say two students were approached at around 3:15 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, by an unidentified male driving a gold-colored SUV.  The male claimed the father of the students was hurt and said he would take them to their father, according to police reports.

The students, who were waiting to be picked up curbside, said they did not recognize the male and told him that they do not talk to strangers.  They did not get into the vehicle, and the male then drove off with the student’s parents arriving shortly after, police said.

The male was described as having dark-colored hair, a mustache and dark skin complexion.  Police say the gold SUV was of an unknown make and model.

The students were unsupervised at the time, as the incident occurred outside of the designated times school staff are curbside after school.

Police offered the following safety tips in regards to after-school pick-ups:

– Pick up your children in a timely manner in a designated area where there are others around.
– Find out what times school staff are outside waiting with students and what time the school closes.
– If your child is not enrolled in an after-school program, and you are late in picking them up, please instruct them to go to the office.
– It is the parent’s responsibility to provide supervision for their children after school.
– Continue to tell your children not to speak with strangers, much less get into their vehicles.
– If your child is approached by a stranger at school, have them find a familiar/responsible adult or go to the office and report it immediately.
– Ask your child to remember as many descriptive details about the person and/or vehicle.