Harvey teen speaks out after man tried to abduct him

FOX 32's Dawn Hasbrouck contributed to this report.

HARVEY (STMW) - Two city workers helped police apprehend a man who attempted to abduct a boy who walking to his south suburban school Thursday morning.

About 8:15 a.m., Sean K. Drysdale tried to abduct 16-year-old Robert House while he was walking to school in the area of 162nd Street and Carse Avenue in Harvey, according to a statement from Harvey police.

"That's when that man was asking me questions like where was I going," House said.

Drysdale, 43, was driving his green 4-door Chevrolet Sedan alongside the boy but the boy immediately ran back home to his parents, police said.

"That's when I had the instinct to run," House said.

Two Harvey Public Works Department employees saw what happened, approached Drysdale, and called police from their cell phones, the statement said.

"As we pulled up to board up the house, we watched him walking and the man following him, and we thought it was his father, until he said no and he took off running," said employee Johnnie Morgan said.

"I walked off to my truck, but I told my friend Sean right here to keep him talking. (Then), I called Harvey police," Morgan added.

So, Dashawn Dandridge stalled the suspect, who he says was asking strange questions.

"He was asking about scoring drugs and asking about the abandoned buildings," Dandridge said.

Police arrived in minutes.

"I'm happy they got there quick cuz we might of had to do some damage to his truck, to his car, I wasn't lettin him go. I wasn't lettin him go at all," Dandridge added. "I'm grateful we were there at the right place at the right time, cuz if he didn't get caught yesterday, he woulda been makin his move today. Or the day after."

The South Holland resident was taken into custody and positively identified by the boy and the city employees, police said. The Cook County State’s attorney’s office approved a charge of child abduction.

House's parents were proud of their son's reaction, and grateful to the workers who helped him.

"It's a bad situation, but a great outcome. Not just for our family, but every family in the city of Harvey," House's father said. "I'm just very thankful that it worked out like this, because there's a lot of parents... there's a lot of parents out there that woulda had a different turnout, so I'm just happy that it turned out alright for my son."

Drysdale was recently released from prison, where he served 10 years for the criminal sexual assault of an 11-year-old Lynwood boy, police said.