Man tried to lead boy, 3, away from family in Golden Gate, witnesses say

Detectives are investigating after witnesses said a man attempted to lead a 3-year-old boy away from his family in Golden Gate on Sunday, the Collier County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

The boy and his family were taking pictures behind the Church of God Naples in the 11900 block of Collier Boulevard about 1:35 p.m. when a man approached the child, according to a Sheriff's Office incident report.

While the boy's mother was looking at the photos on her cellphone, the man took the child by the hand and tried to lead him away, the report states.

When the mother noticed what was happening, she called out for help and a family friend ran after the man and grabbed the boy, the report states.

The boy was not harmed, and the family reported the incident to deputies later that day, according to the report.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-252-9300.

It was the third time in less than a week that authorities received a report about a man trying to lead a child away. 

On Thursday a man tried to lure a child into his vehicle in East Naples, deputies said.

A witness told deputies she saw a man stop his silver PT Cruiser along a road at Lakewood Boulevard and Estey Avenue about 4:30 p.m. and motion for a girl to get into the vehicle, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The witness said the girl shook her head and rode away from the man on her bike. The man then sped off, officials said.

Two days earlier, Marco Island police responded to a report of a man trying to lure a middle school student into his car.

Police said a 12-year-old girl was walking home from Charter Middle School about 3 p.m. Oct. 17 and was approached by a man in a tan four-door vehicle with tinted windows.

The man pulled up alongside her and called her over to his vehicle, police said. She ignored him, but he screamed at her to come to his vehicle. The girl approached the vehicle close enough to get a look at the driver, whom she described as having a thin build, gray hair, a beard and glasses. 

The man asked the girl whether she needed a ride home, police said. The student ran from the area and called her mother to ask to be picked up.

The girl told police she never had seen the man or the car before.

"Our detectives at this time have no reason to believe that they are connected," Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Michelle Batten said about the three incidents. "However, we cannot exclude it."