Crime & Safety

Darien Police to Kids, Parents, Teachers: Think Safety

Two incidents in Norwalk, involving a man in a van exhibiting suspicious behavior near school children, have caused Darien police to suggest parents and teachers discuss safety precautions with school-age kids.

Darien police issued the following news release on Friday afternoon:

The Darien Police Department wants to make you aware of two separate incidents in which students were either approached or followed by an adult in a dark blue van in the city of Norwalk. 

While NO such incidents were reported in Darien, we felt the information in the below bulletin from the Norwalk Board of Education  is relevant in educating our students about Stranger Danger, and informing parents and educators about the incidents. 

We wanted to make you aware of two separate reports from students about being approached or followed in the area of Nathan Hale Middle School in Norwalk by adults in a dark blue van.

Although not reported until Tuesday, the first instance occurred last week along Strawberry Hill Avenue, near the I-95 overpass. In this situation, a student reported that the driver asked her to approach him in the van. The student made the right choice to continue walking, and the driver then turned around and left the area.

This past Wednesday morning a student reported that while walking to school along Walter Avenue, there appeared to be a similarly described van following her.

We are again asking all our schools to talk with students about basic rules for staying safe and urging students not to talk to unfamiliar adults who approach them. 

We are encouraging students who walk to school to do so in groups or near others whenever possible.

If they are approached, they should keep walking and not stop to talk to strangers, whether they are in vehicles or on foot.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Any potential incidents should be reported immediately to the police or school principal. We ask parents to also reinforce these lessons at home as well, with children of all ages.



Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.