Waterbury Police arrested a 37-year-old man alleged to have attempted to lure an 8-year-old child into his vehicle.
The child was identified as Jewish by Israeli media.
Police said they first received a report on Sunday at 7:41 p.m. of a suspicious vehicle on Columbia Boulevard - and a local later reported that the suspect, Christopher Rosa, had approached their daughter while she was in the front yard.
During the exchange, Rosa was said to have exited his vehicle and opened his trunk - prompting the child to run into the house and inform her parents.
"She initially approached because she's used to seeing drivers open their trunks to hand over packages," the father told Ynet. "She only ran when she realized there were no packages in the car — and it looked like he was making space for her in the trunk."
The parents then contacted local law enforcement.
Charges against the suspect
Officers identified Rosa as the suspect after finding his vehicle, a 2019 Honda Pilot, matched the description in the reports. He was then taken into custody.
Rosa has since been charged with 1st Degree stalking, Risk of Injury to a Minor, and 2nd Degree Breach of Peace. He was released on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, according to NBC Connecticut.