Nanaimo boy says man followed him home

Nanaimo RCMP have issued a public notice after a 12-year-old reported being followed home by an unknown man on Tuesday.

The boy told officers he had been walking with friends, but ended up alone after they headed off to their homes.

He said he was passing by some townhouses near the intersection of Rock City Road and Opal Drive about 3 p.m. when he realized a man was walking behind him.

The man yelled “Come here,” prompting the boy to start running until he reached his house. No one was home, so he hid on his property. He said he noticed that the man stood at the end of the driveway for a few minutes before leaving.

The boy then sent a text to a friend, whose mother picked him up and took him home with her.

The man is described as white, 30 to 40 years old, five-foot-10 and very thin with a black beard. He was wearing a black pullover jacket with a pocket in the front, a black tuque and black or blue jogging plants.

“The youth did everything we ask young people to do in these types of situations and is to be commended for reacting the way he did,” said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien in a statement.

O’Brien said it is not known why the man followed the youth and yelled at him.

“Without [the man’s] version of events, his actions on the surface are troubling,” O’Brien said. “For this reason, we are very interested in speaking with him.”

The RCMP’s school liaison unit is investigating.

Nanaimo RCMP ask anyone with information on the incident to call them at 250-754-2345.