A 7-year-old who claimed he was almost kidnapped Monday afternoon at knifepoint near Meadowlands Park in Vacaville fabricated the story, police said.
Police announced on Tuesday that the boy, who wasn't identified, made it up. Police didn't say if he was or will be charged with a crime.
According to police, dispatch received a call just before 3 p.m. Monday from a concerned guardian who said a stranger tried to kidnap the boy at knifepoint. Officers flooded the area to search for the suspect.
Police originally said the boy was apparently walking on a path to the park, toward his guardian in a car, when a stranger approached him. The stranger allegedly held a knife to the boy's face and told him go to a nearby location, but the boy was quick and ran to his guardian's car.
Police said the boy described the suspect as a white man wearing blue jeans and an orange T-shirt and was in his 30s with a goatee.
Police said they located a person matching that description but the boy told officers he was sure that wasn't the suspect.