Howell Chief Suspends Probe of Abduction Attempt Of 6-Year-Old

HOWELL, NJ — The investigation into an incident over the weekend where a 6-year-old girl said a man put a bag over her head has been suspended, Howell Township's police chief said, because an extensive investigation has led police to conclude the incident didn't happen.

Howell Township Police Chief Andrew Kudrick Jr. announced the decision Tuesday evening.

"Based upon all that has been presented to me ... I do not believe this act occurred," he said in a post on the department's Facebook page. "As the Chief of Police and more importantly as a father, I would not make such a decision if I felt it placed anyone especially a child in harm's way."

Police responded to a call Sunday on Crooked Stick Court about an incident in the Adelphia Greens development where the 6-year-old girl ran screaming into her home and told her parents a man had put a bag over her head while she was cleaning up her toys in the family's front yard.

The man reportedly was driving a black SUV, and since Sunday authorities and others had been searching for a white man in a black SUV.

On Monday, Kudrick said detectives investigating the incident, which had the neighborhood and families throughout Howell on edge, had spoken with a number of residents. He also said they discovered surveillance video footage and had the girl's parents look at it.

"A forensic interview designed for children and conducted by specially trained professionals was conducted yesterday (Monday)," he said. "In addition, video and audio footage surfaced late yesterday that gave us a good insight into the child's activity. There's a brief period of time where the child cannot be seen on video."

He said detectives created a timeline and checked the possibility that the girl had been approached during the brief time she's not visible, and Kudrick said the detectives' determination was that it was "highly unlikely someone had the opportunity to commit this offense during this time."

Howell police spent hundreds of hours investigating the incident before reaching that conclusion, including increased patrols, interviewing of residents and vehicle occupants either reported or seen on video, canvassing the neighborhood, reviewing surveillance footage and the use of other investigative technology. "No evidence has surfaced," he said.

"Since Sunday, the community has been on edge believing there may be a person still out there who attempted to abduct a 6-year-old. As the Chief of Police, I have to make a determination how an investigation of such importance and significance is handled," Kudrick said. "I have immediate family living in Adelphia Greens. I advised them it was safe to resume their normal activities around the development."

"This is the best result to this investigation," he said. "Although this is my determination, we will still pursue any credible leads that may develop."

He thanked the community for its assistance in the investigation.

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