By Jeff Lipton
Police are searching for a man who tried to force a Lawrence High School ninth-grader into a sports utility vehicle on Rockaway Turnpike in North Lawrence as the boy was walking home from school last week, school officials said.
The high school freshman thwarted the abduction attempt and ran away, authorities said.
The student had just left the high school, at 2 Reilly Road in Cedarhurst, and was walking on Rockaway Turnpike, near Party City, to his Meadowmere Park home at about 2:50 P.M. on Tuesday, September 26, officials said. That is when a man, about 60 years old and driving a sports utility vehicle, pulled up to the boy and asked him directions, police said. The man then asked the teen to accompany him inside the vehicle, police added.
A police spokesperson at the Fourth Precinct said: "The man asked him 'Would you come with me?' He asked the kid for directions and said 'come and show me' because he's not familiar with the neighborhood."
Police said the boy, 14, declined the man's offer and told his parents about the incident when he arrived home. His parents then called police. The boy was not injured, police said.
According to a letter, dated Thursday, September 28, which was sent home to parents by Dr. Paul Kelleher, superintendent of the Lawrence Public Schools, the unidentified man "grabbed the boy and attempted to pull the student into his vehicle, stating that he would drive him home."
In a telephone interview, Dr. Kelleher said several incidents of possible student abductions were reported last year "when verbal overtures" were made to students by strangers. "But this is the first case I recall in which a stranger has actually put his hands on a child and tried to pull him into a vehicle," the superintendent said. "That is of particular concern to me."
In the letter, the superintendent cautioned parents to speak with their children about how to react when a stranger confronts them. "I am once again asking principals and teachers to speak with our students and remind them of the importance of not responding in any way to strangers," Dr. Kelleher said in his letter. "However, I ask that you, also, reiterate to your child what to do if confronted by a stranger."
Dr. Kelleher offered the following suggestions:
- Keep walking. If approached, a child should inform a parent, or another adult whom the child knows, about what occurred.
- Never get close to a stranger or a stranger's car.
- Walk with a friend.
- Do not ever speak with a stranger.
In the letter, the superintendent added, "In the event that you become aware of any incident in which a stranger approaches a child or tries to engage a child in conversation, please call the police department at 911 and report the matter. Please also notify your child's principal."
In recent years, children who attend schools in District 15 have reported that they have been the victims of attempted abductions, and after police and school officials are notified, letters are sent home to parents warning them about what happened. "Regardless of the circumstances, if a child reports an incident, I want to tell parents about it. I know that if I were a parent, I would want to know," Dr. Kelleher said.
Dr. Kelleher started the letter by stating, "I regret that I must once again share information with you about a danger to your children...I know this information can only produce distress and anxiety. However, we live in a world which requires that all responsible adults be informed and vigilant in order to ensure the safety and well-being of our children."
The teen described the man to school officials as a "light-skinned foreign man," possibly Indian, about 60 years old, driving a white sports utility vehicle with four doors and a yellow license plate. The teen could not supply police with a license plate number, officials said.
Detectives at the Fourth Squad are investigating the incident.
"We don't think it's a major problem," one police official said in reference to abduction attempts in the area. "But we're taking it very seriously."
Anyone with information about the incident may call detectives at (516) 573-6452. All calls will be kept strictly confidential, police said.
