New London ― Police are investigating two similar reports of a man attempting to lure middle school students into a white van.

Both incidents took place last week, though one was reported to police on Tuesday.

Capt. Matthew Galante said the first incident was reported last week by a child who was in the area of Montauk Avenue and Plant Street when the van approached. That incident was under investigation when a different middle school student reported a similar incident while on Jefferson Avenue.

In both cases, the suspect is described as a white or Hispanic man with black hair and a black or gray beard driving a white van with tinted windows. The child in the Jefferson Avenue incident ran to get away, police said.

Galante said police are now seeking surveillance camera footage to aid in the investigation and encouraging parents to speak with their children. It could be there were more incidents that police have not yet heard about, Galante said.

“There is nothing more important then the safety of our children,” Galante said.

Anyone with information about these reports or information about the vehicle and/or the man involved can contact the New London Police Department at (860) 447-5269, ext. 0. Anonymous information may be submitted via the New London Tips 411 system by texting NLPDTip plus the information to Tip411 (847411).