By: K. Michelle Moran | Grosse Pointe Times | Published March 9, 2026
GROSSE POINTE PARK — Parents in the community are on high alert after a suspicious interaction between an unidentified man and a pair of young children on Sunday afternoon in Grosse Pointe Park.
Two children under the age of 10 had been inline skating and stopped to retie their laces at around 3:21 p.m. March 7 in the 1400 block of Buckingham Road when an older white man, possibly in his 60s, pulled his silver Jeep to the curb near them. According to a police report, the stranger asked the children if they wanted any stuffed animals.
Police said the children’s mother saw the vehicle and the driver and confronted the stranger about approaching her children, at which point the man is said to have apologized and driven away. He was last seen heading north on Buckingham.
At press time, Detective Ryan Willmer, of the Grosse Pointe Park Public Safety Department, said police were combing through nearby home and business surveillance cameras, some of which are believed to have captured images of the man, his vehicle or both.
“We are getting closer to identifying the vehicle and the owner,” Willmer said.
While it’s not clear that a crime was committed, the fact that the stranger appears to have attempted to lure young children is concerning to police and residents.
“We’re obviously treating it very seriously,” Willmer said.
At press time, this seemed to be an isolated incident, as police weren’t aware of similar reports in nearby communities.
Besides residential and business security cameras, police now have license plate readers and surveillance cameras at several well-traveled locations throughout the Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods, due to a gift from the nonprofit Grosse Pointe Public Safety Foundation. Those devices may also yield clues as the investigation moves forward.
Willmer said calls and tips from residents are always welcome and can prevent crime or enable police to arrest suspects in the act.
“Any type of suspicious activity — call us on anything,” Willmer said. “We would rather come out and investigate and find out it wasn’t a crime” than not be called and later learn that a crime was committed.
Time is of the essence in these cases.
“The best thing is to not wait to call us,” Willmer said.
Anyone with more information about the unknown man or his vehicle can call (313) 822-7400.