Leonia Police Probe Reported Luring Attempt

Leonia police are seeking the public’s help in finding a man who reportedly asked a girl to get into his car Saturday, the department said in a Facebook post.

The girl was walking on Fort Lee Road, near Broad Avenue, when she spotted a dirty, older model black or blue Chevy Tahoe driving behind her and honking its horn to get her attention around 11:45 a.m., according to Leonia Police Chief Tom Rowe. The man driving asked the girl for directions to Overpeck Park, but the girl shrugged and didn’t answer.

According to police, the girl told officers the man then said, "why don't you get into my car and show me where it is." She fled to a nearby business, but spotted a “W” on the man’s New Jersey license plate.

The driver was last seen heading west on Fort Lee Road, police said. He was described as white, thin, in his late 40's, with long brown shaggy hair to his ears, a big nose, scruffy face and wearing a grey shirt.

In another possible luring incident, Leonia police said a girl told officers she was followed by a man in a black van who asked her “inappropriate questions.” He was described as white, between 40 to 50 years old, 6-feet tall, skinny with a scraggly beard.

“Please instruct your children to not approach any vehicles that stop to talk to them,” Rowe’s post said. “If they carry a cellphone, make sure that it is charged before they leave the house.”