HAWTHORNE, NJ (PIX11)—
Several suburbs in Northern New Jersey continue to be on
Several suburbs in Northern New Jersey continue to be on
edge as police from four towns search for a predator or predators attempting to snatch children from soccer fields, front lawns, and local streets. Four attempts have been made in two weeks. One Boy and three girls have all managed to thwart their attackers, who tried luring them into a Jeep Wrangler or grey car, by running, some screaming, to get away from the perv.
Police chiefs say they've sent detectives to talk to known sex offenders as well as other individuals they say have been suspects in prior "suspicious" activities. But despite some very good descriptions from children resulting in sketches, there have been no arrests. Both the FBI and Bergen County Prosecutor's Office now pledging assistance.
The most brazen attack by far happened this past Saturday afternoon at a soccer field in Hawthorne, NJ with some 200 people in attendance.
A 13 year old girl was nearly nabbed, with both of her parents nearby. The attacker waited until she was away from her group of friends, then the man grabbed her by the arm and just started shoving her towards a wooded area saying "come on let's go." But she wasn't going quietly. She fought. Screamed and yelled and wrenched free, running back to her parents.
Chief Dave Pegg of the Maywood Police Department said of all the calls they get regarding stranger danger, "We take them very seriously."
Ten days ago a young girl, just eight years old, was playing on her front lawn. A man approached, according to the Chief, and asked if she wanted to see some puppies.
"She had just gone through the stranger danger program at school, and what she did was text book perfect," said the Chief. She ran into the house and told her older sister. When the pair came out, the man had fled in his car. But not before the precocious eight year old with an excellent memory for detail provided good sketch material to detectives. It's now being distributed by cops looking to catch a creep.
A recent study of nearly 7,000 attempted abductions by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found these are all too typical methods to abduct children, most of whom are usually girls 10 - 14 who get abducted.
Their findings:
35% of all abductions happen to or from school or a school related activity Many children are lured by a promise of a ride, candy, money, or showing an animal 81% of targeted kids escaped by running or walking, yelling, kicking, or pulled away or attracted attention
Anna, a mom picking up her child at a Hawthorne Elementary school says she's very direct with her children. "Always be together, I tell my girls all the time to stay together. Don't go anywhere alone, nowhere."
Police chiefs say they've sent detectives to talk to known sex offenders as well as other individuals they say have been suspects in prior "suspicious" activities. But despite some very good descriptions from children resulting in sketches, there have been no arrests. Both the FBI and Bergen County Prosecutor's Office now pledging assistance.
The most brazen attack by far happened this past Saturday afternoon at a soccer field in Hawthorne, NJ with some 200 people in attendance.
A 13 year old girl was nearly nabbed, with both of her parents nearby. The attacker waited until she was away from her group of friends, then the man grabbed her by the arm and just started shoving her towards a wooded area saying "come on let's go." But she wasn't going quietly. She fought. Screamed and yelled and wrenched free, running back to her parents.
Chief Dave Pegg of the Maywood Police Department said of all the calls they get regarding stranger danger, "We take them very seriously."
Ten days ago a young girl, just eight years old, was playing on her front lawn. A man approached, according to the Chief, and asked if she wanted to see some puppies.
"She had just gone through the stranger danger program at school, and what she did was text book perfect," said the Chief. She ran into the house and told her older sister. When the pair came out, the man had fled in his car. But not before the precocious eight year old with an excellent memory for detail provided good sketch material to detectives. It's now being distributed by cops looking to catch a creep.
A recent study of nearly 7,000 attempted abductions by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found these are all too typical methods to abduct children, most of whom are usually girls 10 - 14 who get abducted.
Their findings:
35% of all abductions happen to or from school or a school related activity Many children are lured by a promise of a ride, candy, money, or showing an animal 81% of targeted kids escaped by running or walking, yelling, kicking, or pulled away or attracted attention
Anna, a mom picking up her child at a Hawthorne Elementary school says she's very direct with her children. "Always be together, I tell my girls all the time to stay together. Don't go anywhere alone, nowhere."
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