Two students say a stranger offered them a ride near a north Turlock campus

Two students reported that a stranger offered them a ride Thursday near the Walnut Elementary Education Center in Turlock.

An online message from the school said the students were approached by “an elderly and thin Caucasian male driving a four-door gold Lexus sedan who claimed he had been sent by their parent to pick them up.”

The incident happened at about 12:15 p.m. near the intersection of North Walnut Avenue and West Springer Drive. The school reported it to the Turlock Police Department. Both students are safe, and no similar attempts have been reported, the message said.

“However,” it added, “we would like to take this time to remind parents to have a conversation with their student or students about not talking to strangers and avoiding walking alone. If approached by a stranger, encourage students not to panic and to run to a safe location to report the incident.”

This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 9:26 PM with the headline "Two students say a stranger offered them a ride near a north Turlock campus."