SA mother tells of ‘terrifying’ encounter with man who told her daughter to get into his car boot

Jodie Terrell, 49, took to social media to warn other parents about a man covered in tattoos who approached her daughter Tayla and her friend Lili, both 14, along the foreshore between Henley and Grange beaches in Adelaide’s west.

She said the stranger first rode up to them on a hire scooter at around 1:45pm on Thursday.

He then started chatting to the girls and invited them to go for a ride.

After they refused more than once, Ms Terrell said the man went back to his vehicle, sat there “staring at them” and revved the engine before yelling at them to “get into the car”.

“The girls started running towards the Grange Jetty Cafe, their nearest point of safety,” her post read.

The man allegedly then reversed and yelled at the girls to “get into the boot”.

“Please make your kids aware that our wonderful little community is at risk of these people,” the post continued.

“Please be on the lookout for our local kids.”

Her post has already been shared more than 1300 times.

The two teens took a photo of the man’s car with hopes to identify their predator.

Ms Terrell said her daughter called her on the phone and told her what happened after speaking to officers at the Henley Beach station.

“It wasn’t until I hung up that I was suddenly overwhelmed with fear … it hit me with what actually happened and I thought it could have ended so differently,” Ms Terrell told NCA NewsWire.

“The severity of what happened didn’t hit them until they rang police.

“Her friend (Lili later) said ‘Tayla made me laugh because she said if he had come anywhere near her she would have punched him and kicked him in the balls’.”

The mother-of-two said the experience made her realise that predators could target anybody.

“They (the teens) were terrified at the time and there were two people sitting nearby watching it unfold and saw the kids running from this man and didn’t do anything about it.”

The young girls described the man as tall with a slim build who had a mullet with shaved sides.

SA Police confirmed the two teens filed a report later that afternoon.

“Western District Police are now investigating the incident – and are checking the area for a possible CCTV or witnesses to attempt to identify the vehicle and the man involved.”

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.