CHICAGO — Community leaders are sounding the alarm after multiple kidnapping attempts were reported on the West Side.

Leaders called the community to action Monday during an event hosted by the Good Neighbor Campaign.

One attempted kidnapping took place April 23 at the corner of Lockwood and West Jackson Blvd. in the Austin neighborhood. An unknown man tried to kidnap an 8-year-old girl around 3:30 p.m. that afternoon as she was riding her bike.

She was able to fight off that man, and Monday police and Ald. Emma Mitts, who represents the area, say they’ve learned of several similar attempts since then. In some cases, the would-be kidnapper attempted to use a plastic bag to cover his intended victim’s head.

“Word has to spread. We can no keep quiet we can no longer stay in our homes. We have to get involved and make sure we keep our neighborhood safe,” Ald. Mitts said.

The suspect in the April 23 attempt is described as having a heart tattoo on his neck and was wearing a brown long-sleeved shirt, black pants and blue low top gym shoes at the time.

Anyone with information about the attempts is asked to contact Chicago police.