A 19-year-old was arrested in connection with an attempted kidnapping investigation in Baltimore County last week, police said. 

Cameron Keelan is facing attempted kidnapping charges after the incident on Dec. 4, according to police. Officers said they responded to the 8300 block of Edgedale Road for a reported suspicious person in the area. 

The police investigation revealed that a man approached three young children and tried to persuade them to follow him away from the location. 

Officers identified Keelan as the suspect and arrested him. He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center, according to police. 

Anyone with information about this case is urged to call the police at 410-887-2361.

Witnesses say a man tried to lure children

Last week, a suspicious person was reported in a Baltimore County neighborhood, where a man reportedly lured young children to follow him.

According to police, on Dec. 3, Keelan allegedly approached three young children who were on a porch on Edgedale Road. The man reportedly told the children -- believed to have been around 6 or 7 years old -- that their parents weren't home, and they needed to go with him.

A witness stopped and asked the man and the children if they knew each other, and they all said no, according to charging documents obtained by WJZ.

"Sad to say. We just got to keep an eye on your children. You never know what can happen, and I think it's kind of like an anomaly to happen over here, but still, you got to keep an eye on your kids, especially nowadays," said Garrett, who lives in the neighborhood.

Police said the man reportedly cursed at the witness, acted as if he were armed with a weapon, and then took off.  A parent then came out of the home, was told what the man said to the children, and said that he did not give consent for the children to go with the man.

A witness took a photo of the man and shared it on social media.

On Dec. 4, Keelan allegedly was caught hanging around the Immaculate Heart of Mary School, on Loch Raven Road, where he was accused of following children and was in the school's parking lot.

Keelan was located nearby and told police he was cutting through the parking lot to get home, according to documents. He told police that he had not been talking with any children and that the social media post was made up.

Keelan had been banned by the school that day, according to charging documents.

"We've had notes from the school in recent weeks that there are individuals around whom people should be wary of. I certainly never thought that he would be one of those," added Gregory Arment, whose two children go to Immaculate Heart of Mary School. "We walk there every day, and sometimes we would see him going to or from, and it was never remotely a consideration."

Police say officers were called to his mother's home because Keelan was having a mental health crisis. During the investigation, police confirmed they have had multiple run-ins with Keelan for incidents that were 'sexual in nature," according to charging documents.

"I've known him since he was born," said Frank, who lives nearby. "These kids today, they don't have a good chance if they don't have a family, a mom and dad, and a village."

Police also say Keelan lives in a tent nearby.

"Hopefully, he gets the help. Hopefully, the system doesn't dismiss it and gets to the root of what needs to help him," Frank continued.

Kidnapping cases in Maryland 

Kidnapping cases are not rare in Maryland, though occurrences have remained low in past years. 

According to data from Baltimore County Police, there have been 31 reported kidnapping and abduction cases so far in 2025. In 2024, 34 kidnapping cases were reported, and 22 were reported in 2023. 

Across all of Maryland, 111 kidnapping and abduction cases have been reported so far in 2025, according to data from State Police. In 2024, 163 cases were reported, and in 2023, 198 cases were reported. 

In 2024, a man survived after he was abducted from his Baltimore County home in an incident that was captured on a security camera. 

Police did not confirm a motive for the crime. However, a source told WJZ that the victim, Joel Edwards, liked to gamble and may have been targeted because he had a large amount of money on him. 

In September, two Marylanders were identified as suspects in a 2023 kidnapping and carjacking case that left a woman injured, Anne Arundel County police said. 

The victim told police that she was approached by two people in Baltimore and thrown into the trunk of a car. She was then pulled from the trunk and thrown over a bridge above Curtis Creek. She was able to swim to safety and was taken to a hospital. 

Police are still searching for the suspects, identified as Crystal Humphries, 35, of Halethorpe, and David Jiles, 39, of Baltimore.