Prosecutors have charged a man with repeatedly attempting to lure a 15-year-old girl into his car as she waited for a bus home from school on the Northwest Side last month.
The girl quietly recorded him on her phone, providing Chicago police with an image that became the centerpiece of a community warning aimed at identifying him.
Around 4:20 p.m. on September 10, the girl was waiting at a bus stop in the 6400 block of West Irving Park Road when a black SUV came up next to her, according to a detention filing. Patrick Goldman, 39, of Norridge, was the only person inside, according to the petition, and the girl noticed tattoos on both of his arms.
Goldman inquired if she needed a ride. She declined, but prosecutors claim he returned many times during the next eight minutes, constantly requesting her to get into his car despite her refusals. According to the detention complaint, Goldman allegedly informed the girl that if she did not get into his car, he would continue to circle the block until she did.
Prosecutors say the girl used her phone to record Goldman. In the video, he is apparently seen sitting inside the SUV begging her to “Come on,” asking why she refused to get into his car, and telling her he was going to loop around.
Goldman drove away, but returned a third time, claiming that he had changed the music in his car to urge her to come inside. Prosecutors said the child got up and walked toward a witness to remove herself from Goldman. Goldman drove away as the traffic signal turned green.
He returned for the fourth time while the girl and the witness were at the back of the bus stop. Goldman allegedly informed her that it was her “last chance” to get inside the car before driving away.
The girl was then allowed to get on the bus and leave. Prosecutors said security video showed Goldman parking behind the bus stop and hurrying toward it, apparently looking for the child, who had already left. According to the charges, the camera also showed him circling the block four times and pausing near the girl between 4:18 and 4:26 p.m., respectively.
The youngster gave police the SUV’s license plate information, and the CPD issued a community alert the next day with an image from the video she captured. Three days later, authorities included Goldman’s photo in a lineup, and the girl recognized him as the man who had repeatedly tried to persuade her to get into his car.
Judge Deidre Dyer granted the state’s detention motion, calling Goldman’s actions “an opportunistic effort to capture a minor.” He is accused with attempted kidnapping through deception or persuasion.
Leave a Reply