A man was arrested for allegedly attempting to kidnap two girls in broad daylight on Tuesday in south suburban Hickory Hills, authorities said.
Nicholas P. Hayes, 28, of Willow Springs, was apprehended on two counts of attempted kidnapping and ordered to remain in custody following a detention hearing. He also had two unrelated warrants for public indecency, one from Naperville and a second from Waukegan.
The most recent incidents occurred on Tuesday, when Hickory Hills police responded to a shopping center near 95th Street and Roberts Road for reports that a man tried to abduct a girl. Police learned a 14-year-old girl was walking through the shopping center when a man in a silver SUV approached, repeatedly ordered her to get into his vehicle and followed her as she tried to walk away.
Law enforcement also learned of a second incident minutes earlier, in which another girl was approached by the same vehicle, and the suspect demanded she get inside the vehicle. After she told the man she was a juvenile and tried to get away, the suspect exited his vehicle and chased her on foot. At that point, a witness intervened, confronted the suspect and brought the girl to safety.
Police then shared information about the suspect’s vehicle with other local law enforcement agencies. Using Flock license plate reader cameras, Willow Springs police located the vehicle near 87th Street and Oak Grove Avenue, where Hayes was taken into custody.
Victims and witnesses later identified Hayes as the suspect.
Authorities said there is no ongoing threat related to these incidents.
