The Edmonton Police Service is looking for a man suspected to trying to abduct a teenage girl in northwest Edmonton last week, who may also be the suspect in a public indecency case two days prior.
On Friday, May 9 around 9 a.m., police said a 15-year-old girl was walking near 145 Avenue and 125 Street in the Baranow neighbourhood, when a man who was allegedly urinating outdoors noticed the girl and began to walk towards her.
The man, who police said reportedly appeared to be intoxicated, grabbed the teen’s arm and attempted to drag the girl across the street.
The girl was able to escape the man’s grasp and run away. She was on her way to school at the nearby Edmonton Islamic Academy, where the principal said the rattled teen came to his office to report the encounter.
“She was under some distress and she informed me that she had faced a very unusual situation where a strange man had approached her, had grabbed her by the wrist and attempted to pull her into his vehicle,” said EIA principal Abraham Abougouche.
“She was a Grade 10 high school student. She able to fight him off and escape his grasp and run away to safety.”
While Abougouche put the school on alert and called police, the suspect — described as a man in his mid to early 50s with thin, white hair — reportedly got into a grey vehicle and left.
While investigating the attempted abduction, police learned of another incident that occurred on May 7 involving a man and vehicle with a similar description.
Last Wednesday, May 7, in the same general area as the abduction attempt, police said an area resident spotted a naked man in a park who was believed to have been masturbating.
Following that incident, the man reportedly got dressed, then walked north on 125 Street and got into a grey hatchback, believed to be a 2011 to 2018 grey Honda Fit.
That incident didn’t happen on EIA property but the school was made aware of it anyways.
“Our lovely neighbours actually brought some attention to this the day before, about a strange man lurking in the area,” Abougouche said.
“It happened as a student was walking home to a nearby neighbourhood. Our neighbours have stated that they’ve seen this person before and now police are on the lookout.”
Police released surveillance footage from the May 7 incident of the suspect and vehicle. At this time, police said officers have not confirmed the two incidents are connected but noted the similarities.
A public indecency suspect and vehicle spotted on surveillance video on May 7, 2025 in northwest Edmonton.
Edmonton Police Service
A public indecency suspect spotted on surveillance video on May 7, 2025 in northwest Edmonton.
Edmonton Police Service
A vehicle believed to have been driven by a public indecency suspect spotted on surveillance video on May 7, 2025 in northwest Edmonton.
Edmonton Police Service
A stock photo of a 2011 Honda Fit.
Edmonton Police Service
Families of students who attend Edmonton Islamic Academy were notified after the attempted kidnapping.
“It’s a very unusual incident. We live in a very safe neighbourhood typically, so this is not something that is common for us and everybody is on pins and needles,” Abougouche said, adding staff, students and parents expressed anxiety.
“There’s been a lot of discussion, a lot a debriefing with our parents, students and staff about what transpired, and now we’re talking about ways of being aware and preventing it from happening in the future.”
He noted the school has received a lot of support from Edmonton police and the scary incident prompted a review of the school’s emergency procedures.
“It was a good test for our protocols and assurance that we have systems in place should emergencies and events like this happen again,” Abougouche said.
Abougouche said the teenager handled the frightening experience well.
“Very proud of her, showed a lot of bravery and courage, and her and her family are doing fine and getting all the support that they need.”
Abougouche said the Edmonton Islamic Academy used to have a school resource officer but they were moved due to higher needs elsewhere in the city. The principal hopes to have an officer on site again in the future.
“We’re a school community who feels comfortable with the SRO on site. The SRO brings a lot of value to our program, a lot sense of security and in a situation like we’ve faced here, I mean of course it would have been ideal to have a police officer on site,” Abougouche said.
“We hope to continue to work with EPS and having an SRO return.”
Anyone with any information about the suspect or suspects or either incident is asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.