By Anthony Rifilato and Joe Kellard
According to police, a 12-year-old Baldwin Middle School student - who was walking home after football practice on Oct. 23 - was approached by a man driving a red Ford mini van.
The man asked the boy several times if he wanted to get into the van, as he walked along Stanton and Westervelt Avenues, and again on Russell Street. The boy refused, and ran to a friend's house, police said.
"After the guy made a turn onto another street, he realized he was being followed," said Nassau police spokesman Officer Vincent Garcia. "He started to run to a friend's house and when he turned around, the driver was gone."
Garcia said the boy called police. The suspect was described as a 30-year-old male, thin, and clean-shaven with short hair. He also told police that the man had a female passenger in the car.
"I understand that police were going house to house and speaking to the community," said School Superintendent Dr. Thomas Caramore, who updated parents about the incident at a Community Input meeting last week. Caramore said the district notified parents, key communicators and non-public schools in the area.
"The district learned about it Wednesday morning and sent letters out," Caramore said. "It is a concern of ours. It's a police matter and they are continuing to investigate."
The incident in Baldwin comes after a 9-year-old girl in Rockville Centre was followed by a man driving a white van. It happened on Long Beach Road on Oct. 19 as the girl was walking to School No. 5 in Oceanside, when she was approached by the man at Long Beach and Merrick Roads.
"The girl ran into a local store and called police," Garcia said.
According to police, the girl said the man told her, "Yes, I'm looking at you; I want to take you to school in my van."
She ran into a store and after she came out the car was gone, and she let a crossing guard know what had happened, and she notified the principal and police.
Police said that the incidents are being treated separately as the investigation continues. "It's being treated as two, unrelated incidents at this time," Garcia said.
Garcia said that the suspect has a moustache and the license plate on his van had the letters DVB.
Nassau County Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin), who lives near Plaza School - close to where the Baldwin student was followed - said he immediately contacted officials at the 1st Police Precinct and said that police have stepped up patrols of the area.
"I pick up my kids from school everyday, and it's a parent's worst nightmare," said Scannell. "Police canvassed the area and spoke to people on the block. They're putting extra patrols out there - two extra unmarked cars in the area. I spoke to numerous parents at Plaza and they're hoping to get extra police coverage. And we're going to get it."
Oceanside Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown said he sent a letter out to parents alerting them about the Long Beach Road incident. Brown said that there were three kids, including the 9-year-old girl, who were walking to school together.
"My letter said that this is an opportunity to talk to your children about safety and what you should do about talking to strangers," Brown said. "These incidents happen from time to time, and I like to send out letters to remind people to remember to talk to your kids."
Earlier this year, Brown mailed out 4,000 such letters after a man driving a small tan car asked a seventh-grade girl to get into his car as she was waiting for a school bus at Coolidge Place and Harding Street on Jan. 25, according to police.
Days before, on Jan. 17, a 17-year-old girl was walking home on Oceanside Road when she was approached by a man in a blue van who asked her if she wanted to hitch a ride with him. She said no and went inside her home. Later that day, at Nassau Road and Hoke Avenue, a 14-year-old boy was approached by a man in a white Chevy Blazer who asked the boy to come over to his truck, the boy kept walking and the man followed him, and the boy ran home.
Jenn Angelis, a mother with two children in elementary school in RVC, said about the most recent incident, "The children are aware of what's going on; I spoke to them this morning. I just reiterated to them that's there's absolutely no reason for any adult to pull over and ask for directions. So that if any one does that, to run into the house and never to walk up to the car. I reminded them to never walk alone, to have a buddy system. It's a shame. Sad times."
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