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Police have spent hours scouring parklands in Adelaide after a stranger allegedly approached a child during a game of cricket.
Detectives were told the 12-year-old boy managed to get away from the unknown man and raise the alarm with nearby adults at South Terrace on Saturday morning.
It's understood the boy was at the park for a game of school cricket when he went to the bathroom unsupervised at about 9.30am, which is where he was allegedly approached by the man.
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The boy's father claims to 9News it was an attempted abduction.
"He was really scared," one witness told 9News.
"He was brave I would say and he just shook off and ran away and came and told us what happened."
The toilet block was metres from the cricket pitch and next to a playground full of young families.
"It's the last thing on your mind, kids are playing, it's such a safe area, such a safe place," the mother said.
"You can't even imagine that something like this would happen.
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Other parents were shocked by the incident.
Police and police dogs searched the parklands but were not able to locate the suspect, who is described as Caucasian, disheveled looking with an orange beard, dirty straight hair in a mullet and long nails.
Police have not made any arrests but detectives are calling on witnesses to come forward.
