Police Warn Parents About Stranger at Edgewater Park

EDGEWATER, MD — Edgewater-area parents are warned to be on alert after an older man may have tried to lure a child to a parking lot at the town’s Little League field.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department received a report about the suspicious person Wednesday night. Officers were told an elderly man approached several children playing in a park on Wallace Manor Road close to the field where a Little League baseball game was being played. The man allegedly approached several of the children and briefly spoke to them.

An observant parent noticed a child following the man toward the parking lot area and retrieved the child, police say.

The man in question is a white or Hispanic male, 60 to 80 years old, who was wearing a long-sleeve red and black plaid shirt. The witness also said the man appeared to walk using a quad-style metal cane in a “hunched over” manner.

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While the man’s intentions are unclear, police are reminding parents of these safety tips provided by the National Crime Prevention Council:

What Parents Can Do:

• Know where your children are at all times: Make it a rule that your children must ask permission or check in with you before going anywhere.

• Point out safe places. Show your children safe places to play, safe roads and paths to take, and safe places to go if there’s trouble.

• Teach children to trust their instincts. Explain that if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable, they should get away as fast as they can and tell an adult.

• Teach your children to be assertive. Make sure they know that it’s OK to say no to an adult and to run.

• Encourage your children to play with others. There’s safety in numbers.

What Children Can Do:

• Don’t talk to strangers.

• Don’t take anything from strangers.

• Don’t go anywhere with someone you don’t know.

• Use the buddy system, avoid walking anywhere alone.

• When seeking help, always go to a trusted adult – teacher, coach, police officer, other parent, or older siblings.

• If a stranger grabs you, do everything you can to stop him or her from pulling you away.

Drop to the ground, kick, hit, bite, and scream. Do whatever it takes to attract the attention of others who can help you. If someone is dragging you away, scream, “this is not my dad,” or “this is not my mom.”

• Report any suspicious activity to your local school and police department.