LANCASTER, Ohio — A man attempted to lure a child from a playground into the woods during youth softball games Sunday at Martens Park, the Fairfield County Youth Softball league said in a statement, and the man fled when the child alerted their parents.
The child was aware of stranger danger and told their parents, the league said. The man then ran off toward Diamond 8. A description of the man was given, and board members and other parents searched for him while police were alerted, but the man was not found, according to the statement.
The league urged parents and caretakers to keep an eye on their children at all times at the ball field, noting that Martens is a public park where strangers are often present, and that board members staffing the concession stand during busy games cannot always watch the playground.
“We are so super thankful that today didn’t end badly,” the league said, asking families to talk with their children about not talking with, or walking off with, people they don’t know.
The league’s statement did not include a description of the man. It thanked everyone who assisted in the search.
WATCH: Man tried to lure child at Lancaster ballpark — our full report is in the video below.
