UPDATE: Cops: Westport Stranger Report No Longer Suspicious

Update, 5:14 p.m.:

Westport police issued the following update regarding a report in which a stranger offered a 13-year-old girl a ride to school:

At approximately 3:45 p.m., the driver of the vehicle being sought in connection with this suspicious incident contacted the Westport Police Department identified himself and explained that he had observed the female standing in the roadway with no umbrella during the snow and rain storm that we were experiencing at that time.

The operator of the vehicle stated that he did offer the girl a ride to school and or to shelter in his vehicle until the bus arrived based on the weather conditions. It was determined that the male was in fact a resident of that area and that there were no criminal intentions to his actions. T

he police department would like to thank media outlets and the public for their assistance and the quick resolution to this matter. 

At this time, the investigation into this matter is closed.

Original article: (previous headline: Cops: SUV Stranger Offers Westport Girl, 13, Ride to School)

At about 7:30 a.m. on Monday, a 12-year-old girl waiting for a school bus near Apple Tree Trail was approached by a suspicious man in a black SUV who offered to give her a ride to school, Westport police said.

Norwalk police recently have issued news releases about a suspicious man driving a dark blue van following school children in one case and offering one a ride in another. In another Norwalk case, a man in a different-colored van tried to get a kid in it, according to police.

As a result, Norwalk and Darien police have issued warnings to parents, students and teachers, asking them to be on the lookout and offering advice about what to do and not to do in similar circumstances.

A parent sitting in the car with her children saw the driver approach the students. Westport police checked the area but didn't find the driver's vehicle, which was black, with a gold-colored emblem on the rear tailgate. No one was able to provide police with the license plate number.

The event was witnessed by another parent who was sitting in a car with her children waiting for the same bus. A check of the area by patrol officers was unable to locate the suspicious vehicle or operator.