Man accused of trying to use teddy bear to lure woman and her daughter into van

PITTSBURGH — "He slowly rolled by me in the van and my heart stopped."

A mother is urging her neighbors to keep an eye out after a suspicious man in a van tried to lure her and her daughter with a teddy bear.

Courtney Pace was walking with her 15-month-old daughter, Eliza, in Brookline when she said her heart sank.

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A total stranger was trying to get her attention.

"He rolled down his window and had a teddy bear in his hand. 'Come get the teddy bear, come over and see my teddy bear. Do you guys want this?'" Pace said the man told her.

She told Channel 11's Amy Hudak that is when she immediately turned around and called 911.

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"It felt like my heart sinking into my stomach and my gut telling me he doesn't have good intentions," said Pace.

Pace is petite. Her theory is that the man thought she was younger than she really is -- maybe that Pace was the baby's older sister or babysitter.

Pace said the van was an older model, dark blue or purple, with tinted windows. She described the man as having dark hair, a dark beard and spoke with a Middle Eastern accent.

Police were visibly patrolling the area of Hobson Road between Creedmoor and Merrick and said they are keeping a close eye on anyone that matches this description.

Anyone with information regarding the suspicious man is asked to call police.

Cox Media Group