Run-in with Justin Bieber Lookalike Prompts Warning to Los Al Parents

A teenage minivan passenger who looked like pop star Justin Bieber sparked concern in Rossmoor recently after he allegedly gestured for two schoolgirls to approach the vehicle, which was driven by a man in his 50s, authorities said.

The incident, which is not considered a crime by Orange County sheriff’s investigators, was alarming enough for the Los Alamitos Unified School District to issue a call for parents and students to remain alert for suspicious strangers.

According to Lt. Rob Gunzel, two elementary school girls were playing on the playground at Lee Elementary on  March 24 when a man in his 50s with gray hair drove by in a silver minivan. Without stopping, the boy in the van's passenger seat — who the girls described as 14 and looking like pop star Justin Bieber — waved the girls to come over.

“Basically, they said that the boy motioned to them," Gunzel said. "As they drove by, the girls went and hid in the bushes.”

After the incident, a parent stopped a deputy on Sunday afternoon and told him what happened. The deputy spent about 50 minutes looking for the minivan. Gunzel said while there’s no ongoing investigation, deputies patrolling Rossmoor are on alert in case they see a silver minivan driven by a man with gray hair.

Gunzel added that it didn’t appear a crime had occurred because the man never got out of the vehicle and never approached the children, and the vehicle never stopped. 

Los Alamitos School District officials originally sent out to notices to residents warning them to be vigilant of a driver who approached two students and asked them to come over to the van. While the investigation revealed the driver didn't approach the students, it was good for the schools to send out the warning letter, said Gunzel.

Superintendent Sherry Kropp, who sent out the email alert on the incident, said the district sent the email “out of an abundance of caution.”

“I’d rather over communicate,” Kropp said. “With student safety, we just need to be very transparent and honest with our communication."

Kropp said the district had limited information about the incident and that a parent of at least one of the students informed district officials about the scare.

Gunzel said anyone who sees an adult approach a child in a suspicious way, can call 911. If the incident is a non-emergency, they can call the sheriff’s department at 714-647-7000.

The following is the text of the email parents in the district received:

Good Evening, Los Al,

It has come to our attention that an incident allegedly occurred in Rossmoor on Sunday involving two students and an unidentified silver minivan.  The students were approached by the driver and asked to come over to the van.  We called the OC Sheriff's Office to gather more information, and they were unable to confirm the incident.  In an abundance of caution, we want all families to take this opportunity to speak with their students regarding interactions with strangers, as student safety is our number one priority. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

With Gratitude,

Sherry Kropp, Superintendent

Note: Text submitted courtesy the Rossmoor Predator Management Team

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