Alert issued after two teens are raped SKETCH

He’s out there — a man police say is driving around in a green van, looking for his next victim.

He committed three attacks in four days, preying on teenage girls.

So far, he’s targeted the Southwest Side, in the Wrightwood and Ashburn neighborhoods.

CBS 2′s Pamela Jones reports neighbors are just hearing about the attacks.

In each of the cases, police say the man shows up in a green minivan. And in one case, police say the man told a girl he’d give her $100 to get her to come closer. She got away.

On Monday, neighbors who saw an artist’s rendering of the suspected rapist were worried.

Police say it all started March 4 in the 8200 block of South Sacramento. A man forced a 17-year-old girl into a green van at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her. The next day, police say same suspect in the same van struck at 79th and South Maplewood. A 16-year-old also was sexually assaulted.

“Our victims in all four incidents indicated to us that the offender would pull his vehicle up to where they were standing, engage them in conversation for them to approach,” Chicago Police Sgt. John Nowakowski said. “And in two incidents, when the victims got really close to the van, the offender grabbed them and physically pulled them into the van.”

At both locations where police say teens were raped, there happened to be schools nearby. Police don’t think the suspect is targeting schools, but they say the victim in Friday’s case was walking to school when a man attacked her.

“I know a number of kids that walk to school every single day, so now I’m concerned for them because this is shocking to hear,” one neighbor said.

Police say the suspect flashed an 18-year-old female Sunday in the 7900 block of South Pulaski. Investigators say they’ve issued a community alert, hoping someone will see the man responsible and call police before it happens again.

Police say a fourth girl was also approached, but she got away.

Anyone with information on the cases is asked to call (312) 747-8380 or (312) 747-8224.

Read the original article from WBBM News Radio.