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A 15-year-old Rotorua girl fought off a man as he tried to push her into his car on a busy street.
Detective Sergeant John Wilson, of the Rotorua CIB, said the girl was walking along Te Ngae Rd about 8.30pm on Tuesday when a car pulled up next to her.
The driver got out and tried to force the girl into the vehicle. She fought him off and ran down Te Ngae Rd.
The road is a dual carriageway, from central Rotorua to the airport. Mr Wilson said the road was busy, and he hoped someone had seen the attack.
"It's a pretty bold move to try and take someone in daylight," he said.
"She put up a struggle and managed to get away - she's a lucky girl.
Mr Wilson said the "distinctive" appearance of the car would hopefully lead to an arrest.
The car was described as similar to a Mitsubishi Lancer.
It was a dirty brown/orange colour, with chrome wheels and a big exhaust pipe.
The man was European, with short blond hair, slim, and in his late teens to early twenties.
- NZPA
