Hamilton police looking for ‘suspicious’ pickup driver

Hamilton police are looking to identify a driver and a vehicle after a woman allegedly tried to get a teen into her pickup truck.

On Sunday, April 9 police were called to the area Mead and Tate avenues, a residential neighbourhood in east Hamilton near Woodward Avenue and Brampton Street, for a suspicious vehicle that had been there between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. that day.

Police were told a teenage girl was walking down the street when an unknown woman in a pickup tried to speak with her, said Const. Indy Bharaj.

The woman was allegedly asking the teen to get into her vehicle, he said. The woman was reportedly quite persistent," trying different ways to get the teen into the vehicle, including asking for help to fix something.

This continued until the teen pulled out her cellphone and the driver fled, Bharaj said.

Detectives have been canvassing the area and looking for video. Police found and released a surveillance image of the suspected truck, hoping someone with information will come forward.

The driver is described as a white women in her late 20s or early 30s, with a thin build, freckles, black hair and blue eyes.

The truck is described as a black GMC pickup with a crew cab, a short box with a tonneau cover and distinctive rims.

The incident remains under investigation by the east end criminal investigation branch. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Const. Colin Bromley at 905-546-2923 or the staff sergeant at 905-546-2963.

To remain anonymous contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com

Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com