School board officials in Montreal's West Island are asking children to be prudent following an attempted kidnapping Wednesday in Pointe-Claire.

A 12-year-old boy said he narrowly escaped an older man's grip shortly after he got off his school bus on St-Louis Avenue at the corner of Marsh.

The boy says a man tried to grab him near this Pointe-Claire intersection. (CBC)The suspect is described as an English-speaking white man between 40 to 50 years of age, driving a red, older-model vehicle.

"We are very concerned by this event," said Montreal police Cmdr. Jacquelin St-Pierre, who said officers have increased the number of patrols in the area.

The boy is a student at St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire.

"It kind of hits you in the pit of your stomach. That you just you don't ever want to hear of anything like that," said principal Christine Cyr.

The school has sent a letter home to parents offering safety tips.

The Lester B. Pearson school board said parents at nearby schools had also been informed of the situation, and offered advice.

Parents should warn children about the dangers of speaking to strangers, said board spokesman Bob Mills.

"Maybe, parents could give kids a password so that if the child hears that password they would know the message really is coming from the parents," Mills said.

The news was also disturbing for neighbours in the area, including Theresa Matulis, who has three young children.

"It was extremely shocking.... It happened just two houses away from me," Matulis said.

Matulis said she often talks to her kids about safety to empower them.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to come forward.