Toronto police are searching for a man who they say tried to abduct a nine-year-old boy from East York on Tuesday.

Investigators say the boy first saw the man around 8:30 a.m. as he was walking to his school near Thorncliffe Avenue and Overlea Boulevard.

The man allegedly grabbed the boy’s shoulder, but the child broke free and ran to school.

Police say the man approached the boy again when he came out for lunch, but the child ran straight back inside and told a teacher.

The suspect is described as brown, between 40-and-50-years-old, about six-feet-tall, with short brown hair and grey facial hair.

He was wearing a white shirt with a dark jacket, black pants with “Adidas” near the pocket, Nike shoes with orange on them, and a black and orange hat.

Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.