Two more ‘stranger’ incidents reported in Merrick-Bellmore area

Two more “stranger” incidents have been reported in the Merrick-Bellmore area, one involving members of the Calhoun High School boys’ track team on Thursday afternoon and another involving teenagers walking home from school on Friday afternoon.

The track team members spoke with the man, who approached them while they were out in the neighborhood around Calhoun on a training run.

Calhoun Principal David Seinfeld addressed the incident in an email to parents:

“Earlier this afternoon, while running up Meadowbrook Road, a few of our boys on the spring track team were approached by a man in a teal-colored mini-van. The person was described as a male white with olive-toned skin and salt-and-pepper hair, and who was about 50 years old.

“He asked the boys, ‘Would you like a ride?’ One of the boys said to him, ‘Are you the man trying to lure kids into your car?’ At that point, the man left the scene.”

The incident occurred just outside the North Merrick Library. Police were notified, and Seinfeld made an announcement on Friday to warn students about what had occurred. He strongly recommended that students walk in pairs or small groups. The track team, he noted, has run in groups for years. He also called upon parents to speak with their children about the proper safety precautions they must take to keep themselves safe on the street.

According to knowledgeable sources, a second stranger incident happened around 5 p.m. on Friday, though it was unclear where it occurred.

These were the first incidents reported since Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and police officials held a news conference in front of Chatterton Elementary School on April 29, vowing to catch whomever is approaching local children and teenagers and scaring them.

Before that, a string of 10 incident was reported in the Merricks, Bellmores and Roosevelt.