Attempted double kidnapping at Oxford Circle playground

Girls play on swings in a playground in the Chechen capital Grozny April 29, 2013. (File photo)

Police are looking for a middle-aged man who attempted to abduct a 10-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl within a 10-minute timeframe Wednesday from an Oxford Circle playground, police said.

The two attempts occurred near theMax Myers Recreation building at the 1600 block of Hellerman Street, which sits across the streetfrom the Gilbert Spruance Little School House.

The man approached the boy at 7:50 a.m., as the boy was playing at the rec center, and asked if he needed help. Suddenly, the man grabbed his hand, and then the boy screamed for his mother who came running.

At 8 a.m. the man approached the girl and said he had something for her, and then pushed her. Three men nearby witnessed the confrontation and chased the man towardMagee Street.

The man, who may be between 30 and 40 years old,is described as a5-foot-9-inch tallAfrican-Americanwith a thin build and salt-and-pepper hair and mustache.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS (8477), or text a tip to PPD TIP (773847).

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