Crime & Safety

Boy Connects Bergenfield Luring Report to Westwood Sketch

Boy, 12, said a man offered him money to get in a truck Monday in Bergenfield, according to police.

A 12-year-old boy told authorities a man tried to lure him into pick-up truck in Bergenfield Monday and picked out the man shown in a sketch developed after a reported Westwood luring attempt, police said.

The boy said he was walking home from a friend’s house at around 6:15 p.m. on West Broad Street, near Fairview Avenue, when the man pulled up and offered him money to get in the truck, according to a police statement. He refused the offer and ran away.

“The juvenile male stated he felt he was followed by the driver in the truck down Fairview Ave and he ran into a backyard. He waited until he saw the truck pass by, which it did, and then watched the truck turn onto S Prospect Ave going northbound,” the statement said.

The boy’s aunt called police after he told her about the incident. Police said the boy was shown a series of sketches developed in other reported North Jersey luring attempts and picked one showing a man sought in an Oct. 18 Westwood incident.

In the Bergenfield case, the man was described as white, in his 50’s, with gray hair on the sides of his head, balding, with cracked or missing teeth and possibly wearing a fake white mustache, police said. He was wearing a red and black plaid shirt with a tear in the front.

The man was reportedly driving a late model rusty red Toyota pick up with white fenders, a mint green driver side door and a hood with black that didn’t appear to fit the model of truck, exposing part of the engine.

Police asked anyone who might have noticed something suspicious or any area residents with security cameras to call investigators.

Authorities around Bergen County are investigating a string of incidents, leading to increased police patrols and safety reminders from local officials. Similar incidents have been reported in Hackensack, Maywood, Westwood and Oradell although police have not confirmed any link in the reported incidents.

Bergenfield Police can be reached at 201-387-4000.

Related News: 

  • Sketch Released in Latest Possible Bergen Child Luring Attempt
  • Police Increase Patrols in Response to Luring Reports
  • New Milford Police Investigate Two Luring Incidents
  • Police Release Sketch in Hackensack Luring Attempt
  • Luring Reports Prompt School District Safety Reminder

 

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