UPDATE: Maplewood Boy's Suspicious Incident With Man In Van Was 'Unfounded'

Maplewood, NJ - Maplewood police announced that an allegedly "suspicious" incident involving a red van and a 12-year-old boy was "unfounded," authorities announced Friday.

According to the Maplewood Police Department, the youth told officers that the alleged incident took place around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday as he was riding his bike home from summer school.

He allegedly told police that an "older" white male in a red van pulled alongside him and tried to ask him several questions, authorities stated.

Police said that the boy told them he rode away and returned home unharmed, then reported the incident to his parents hours later.

Maplewood police issued the following statement on Friday afternoon:

"After further investigation by detectives this incident was determined to be unfounded. Video surveillance was viewed and helped to determine the incident did not occur. "

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