Police have stepped up patrols in Ossining after they say a man tried to lure a young girl into his van near a middle school on Monday.

Detectives say the luring attempt happened at the intersection of Van Cortlandt Avenue and Route 9, not far from the Anne Dorner Middle School. They say a man in a white van drove up to a young girl walking home from school.

Police say he told the girl her mother was in a car accident and that she needed to go with him and that he would give her a ride.

The girl immediately went home and told her parents, and they alerted authorities. Police are praising her for staying calm and doing the right thing.

"The girl was smart enough to tell him that my mom doesn't drive. He said 'I'm sorry' and he drove away," says Lt. Jeffery Giorgio, of the Ossining Police Department.

School officials say they are working with police and reminding parents to speak to their children about what to do if a stranger approaches.

Ossining police say they are stepping up patrols in the area as they look for the suspect.