‘Pizza guy’ tries to lure teen into car

Police didn’t notify public for 18 hours; schools didn’t need to know about event, sergeant says.Police searched Wednesday for a man who followed a 15-year-old girl and tried to lure her to his car.

The Costa Mesa girl was riding her bike at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday on Esther Street near Westminster Avenue, when a man driving a beat up four-door car waved at her, made a U-turn and began following her, police said.

The girl was scared and ran up to the first home with a porch light on, said Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Marty Carver.

While she was knocking on the door, the man parked his car in front of the home, stepped out and asked the girl to come over to his car, police said.

When the girl told the man she didn’t know him, he responded, “I’m the pizza guy.” At that time, someone inside the home opened the door and the girl ran inside, police said.

The man drove away and the girl rode her bicycle home once she felt the man was gone. Her mother called police.

The girl lives about one block from where the incident occurred, Carver said. Detectives are working with the girl to provide a sketch of the suspect.

Police did not release information about the incident to the public until noon Wednesday. The delay may have resulted from the responding officer’s failure to notify the on-duty supervisor when the incident occurred, Carver said.

“This is something that should have been put out” to the public, Carver said.

Police did not send out information to local schools about the child annoyance incident, because it didn’t happen at a time of day when children are commuting to and from school, he said.

Although there are no schools in the immediate area of where the incident occurred, Kaiser Elementary School is nearby. Kaiser Principal Stacy Holmes said Wednesday that the school was aware of the incident but was not taking any specific steps to notify parents.

After hearing the news from a parent, Holmes followed up with Costa Mesa police, who didn’t instruct the school to take action, Holmes said.

“It’s always scary to hear that things like that happen anywhere,” Holmes said.

The suspect is described as an adult man, about 5 feet 11 inches tall, 250 pounds, with black, shoulder-length curly hair and brown eyes. He was reportedly driving a “beat-up” four-door foreign car, possibly a Honda.

Anyone who has additional information is asked to contact the Costa Mesa Police Department at (714) 754-5205.

* LAUREN VANE covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at lauren.vane@latimes.com.