Police are warning parents after a young girl was allegedly pulled into a wooded area by a stranger while playing a game of ‘spotlight’ in a St. John’s neighbourhood.

RNC responded to the Southlands Community Centre on Monday night following the terrifying ordeal.

Police say extra patrols, including the mounted unit, are now scouring the neighbourhood for the male suspect.

RNC Constable Steph Myers is urging anyone with doorbell or dashcam footage from the area to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

“So information that we have at this time was that she was, it was actually a bunch of kids playing spotlight. She was near the tree line, pulled near the tree line, and then there was a struggle that happened, you know, near the wooded area of Southlands Community Centre, and the suspect fled from that point,” she told reporters.

Myers recognizes that there is a great deal of concern from parents and neighbouring residents.

“This kind of incident is rare. Public safety is the RNC’s priority at this time. We have a significant amount of resources into the investigation. We understand that the concern that this may cause in a community, but again, we do have a significant investigation. We have extra patrols for the coming days for that area, and officers are following up on any leads that they may receive.”