Montreal police are appealing to parents of children who walk home from school to be extra-vigilant after an attempted abduction was reported earlier this week in Rosemont-la-Petite-Patrie.

Although the young boy, 10, was able to fend off his attacker, police say that children coming to and from school should use the buddy system as a safety precaution.

"[We] ask the parents to make sure kids are going home with at least another person and try the least as possible to be alone," said Benoit Boisselle, spokesperson for the Montreal Police.

"Use the main streets, not small streets, to make sure everybody sees the kids when they go back home," Boisselle added.

Around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the boy was walking on Clark St. – his usual route home from school – when he crossed a man in his mid-50’s on the sidewalk.

The boy told police that he was intercepted by the suspect, who grabbed the boy's neck with two hands, coaxing him to follow.

However, the boy managed to wriggle from the grasp and punch the man in the face with a free hand.

He then ran all the way home to tell his mother what happened, and shortly after she contacted both police and the boy’s school.

The boy, while pretty shaken up, was not physically injured in the altercation.

The suspect in question was described as middle-aged, short, and balding, police said.

For the moment, authorities are treating the attempt as an isolated incident, and are combing through surveillance footage to find video of the attempted abduction.

Otherwise, Boiselle said it's "too early" in the investigation to give any more details, but no other incidents have been reported on the island of Montreal, or the area near the boy's school, since Tuesday's altercation. 

Police say they will continue to keep in contact with the school, and notify them if any arrests are made or other incidents are reported.