Mother Was “Minute Away” From Son's Attempted Kidnapping

The mother of a 7-year-old boy who managed to escape two female would-be kidnappers in Santa Ana said Friday that she's learned her lesson and will keep a close eye on her son from now on.

On Monday, two women sitting in a minivan parked near Newhope Elementary School tried to lure the child into their vehicle. The boy was walking home from school at the time.

"One of the ladies said to him in Spanish, 'Run. Run. Come inside my car already,' and he's like 'no,'" said the mother, who asked that her name not be used in this story. "He's really a brave kid and smart."

"They offered me ice cream and I said 'no' because I know you're going to want to steal me," said the boy.

The mother said she was only "a minute away" from the corner of Virlee Aveue and Flight Street (map), which the boy had just rounded before the attempted kidnapping.

"I definitely learned my lesson. I'm going to be out there every step of the way," she said.

The mother and boy asked not to be identified because the attempted kidnappers are still at large.

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Other parents at the school came to campus Friday to make sure their children were picked up in person after the incident.

Police are still searching for the minivan, described as having a similar body style to a Toyota Sienna, model year 2000 to 2007. The vehicle was gold in color, with dirty rims and possibly lower wooden trim, rust marks and a sliding side door.

The driver was described as a Hispanic woman, 30 to 40 years old, with a heavy build, fair complexion, wrinkles on her face and a long brown ponytail.

The passenger was described as a Hispanic woman, about 40 years old, with a medium build, olive complexion, short brown wavy hair and having numerous freckles or moles on her face.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact police at 714-245-8390.

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