A 12-year-old Oak Harbor girl said a man tried to grab her and drag her to a car while she was jogging on the city’s waterfront trail Tuesday evening, the Oak Harbor Police reported.

The girl’s father, Oak Harbor dentist Gordon Keyes, said his family is very alarmed and wants to warn the community about the danger.

“We almost lost a daughter last night,” he said. “People need to watch out because someone is trying to abduct children.”

Keyes said his 16-year-old and 12-year-old daughters were jogging on the trail behind Whidbey Island Bank after 7 p.m. The bank is located on Highway 20 at SW Bayshore Drive. The older girl was faster and was far ahead of her sister.

A muscular, black man jumped out of the bushes and grabbed the younger girl, Keyes said. He started to drag her toward a silver car and kept yelling at her, “Girl, get into the car.”

Keyes said his daughter was worried that the man had already abducted her sister, so she initially wanted to get into the vehicle to save her. But at the last minute, she decided not to get inside and fought.

“That little 12-year-old started fighting and screaming and hit him in just the right place and dropped him,” Keyes said, adding that his daughter is strong from chopping wood and running.

The frightened girl ran away and joined her older sister, who hadn’t seen the kidnapping attempt, at the dentist office on SE Barrington Drive.

Oak Harbor Police Chief Rick Wallace said a number of detectives are investigating the case, which is considered a top priority.

“It’s a very disturbing case,” he said.

Wallace said investigators are looking at video from the bank and other businesses.

According to police, the suspect is described as an adult black man with a muscular build. His car was a mid-size silver car. Anyone with information should contact the police at 279-4600 or call 911.