Police Looking for Suspects Who Tried to Coax Teen Girl Into Car

Two men tried to get a teenage girl in Corona del Mar to get into their car on Wednesday, Newport Beach police reported.

At about 11:20 a.m., the 14-year-old girl was sitting on the front steps of her home in the 600 block of Iris Avenue when a green Subaru drove by.

"The vehicle passed her residence, then reversed its direction of travel and stopped in front of the home," Jennifer Manzella, police spokeswoman, explained.

The driver stayed in the car, but the passenger got out and asked the girl for directions to a fast-food restaurant. When the girl told the man she could not give him directions, according to Manzella, the man said he had a map in the car and asked the girl to go with him back to the Subaru.

Police said the teenager refused to go with the man, who "became persistent," and armed herself with a large stick that was nearby.

The passenger then returned to the car and fled.

Anyone with further information about this incident, or who has the ability to identify the vehicle or the involved subjects, is asked to call Det. Penny Freeman at 949-644-3776, or the Newport Beach Police Department’s Hotline at 1-800-550-NBPD. Messages can be left anonymously.

The suspect vehicle is described as a Subaru, 4-door wagon, dark green in color, with CA License 6*****4. In the back window, there is a white oval sticker with “Anaheim” in black letters.

The passenger was described as a Hispanic man, approximately 50 years old, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing about 170 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. The subject had a goatee and was wearing white running shoes, blue jeans with holes, and a brown t-shirt turned inside-out.

The driver was described as being a Hispanic man.

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