AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — The Aurora Police Department is investigating two separate attempted child abductions that occurred near the Mission Viejo neighborhood.

According to APD, the first incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 5. A man tried to grab a 10-year-old girl who was playing outside near the intersection of South Quintero Way and South Richfield Street.

Police said the man was white and was wearing a black ski mask, a red-and-white flannel shirt, and jeans.

At 6 p.m. on Jan. 12, a man tried to grab a 12-year-old boy in Mission Viejo Park, which is less than a mile from where the first attempted abduction took place.

The second man is described as bald with a dark beard and possibly tattoos on his arms.

Detectives are still trying to figure out if the suspect is the same person, but say at this point, descriptions have been vague. 

“We’re unsure if they’re related or not,” says Officer Matthew Longshore. “It’s definitely something that we’re looking into and won’t rule out.”

Longshore says in both cases, the kids did the right thing by screaming and fighting back. 

“Yell, scream, kick, bite, elbow — these are small things that can help a kid get out of a situation like this,” he says. “And fortunately in both of these scenarios, that’s kind of what happened. The last thing these people want is unnecessary attention brought to what they’re doing.”

APD is asking people who live in the area to check surveillance video for people matching those descriptions.

They’re also asking parents to talk about the dangers of abductions with their kids, and to try and limit their alone time away from home.

“As scary as it is — and you never think this will happen to your kid — it’s always better to be prepared, than to be caught off guard,” says Longshore.

APD urged anyone who witnessed either attempted abduction to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at: 720-913-7867. Police also asked anyone with potentially useful information, videos or photos to contact Crime Stoppers.

APD encouraged parents to visit the KidSmartz website for child safety tips.