Montclair Youths Report Luring Attempts: Where And When? (MAP)

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair authorities recently announced that police are investigating a pair of alleged, unrelated luring attempts that took place in the township, the latest incidents in a growing list of such reports that have taken place over the past year.

Police said that an attempted luring report took place around 5 p.m. on Thursday when a man in an “older-style,” dark-color van allegedly approached a 10-year-old male as he was walking on Harrison Avenue.

According to the Montclair Police Department, the man allegedly pulled his vehicle beside the juvenile, asked if he was lost and offered him a ride. The juvenile didn’t respond and fled the scene, police stated.

The youth described the man as a white male between 40 to 50-years-old with a brown beard, police said.

2ND HARRISON AVENUE INCIDENT

Montclair police are also investigating another alleged attempted luring that also took place on Harrison Avenue around 8:20 a.m. on Jan. 31, authorities said.

During that incident, a male operating a green, “cargo-style van” with no rear windows allegedly approached a nine-year-old boy as he was walking down the street. The male allegedly got out of his car and asked the juvenile if he was lost, at which point the boy immediately left the area, police said.

The youth described the person as a white male with curly hair and a gray or brown beard, police said.

Montclair police didn’t say if the Jan. 31 and Feb. 9 attempted luring reports were related. Detectives are investigating both incidents.

OTHER ALLEGED LURING ATTEMPTS IN MONTCLAIR

A nine-year-old male previously told Montclair officers that around 4 p.m. on Jan. 13, a driver in a blue or black color sedan pulled up beside him and started to honk the horn as he was walking in the area of Norwood Avenue and Marion Road.

The driver allegedly told the juvenile to follow him, at which point the child fled the scene, police said.

Authorities released the below sketch of the suspect, described as a white male in his 50’s with white/gray hair, a white mustache and beard, and wearing a black shirt.

According to authorities, other recent luring attempts that have allegedly taken place in Montclair have included:

• Jan. 17, 2017 - A reported luring took place around 6:52 p.m. on Tuesday in the area of Park Street and Claremont Avenue. According to police, the victim, a 16-year-old female, told officers that a dark-colored sedan pulled up next to her as she was walking alone south on Park Street. The victim said that the driver of the car repeatedly told her to get into the car until she fled the area on foot. She could only describe the suspect as a male with a possible accent, police said. No photo/sketch of the suspect was available.
• May 11, 2016 – An alleged luring attempt took place around 2:30 p.m. on May 11 near Sunset Park. A 12-year-old local girl reported that a male around 40-years-old attempted to lure her into his car. According to the juvenile, the man drove up alongside her in a dark-colored sedan and asked, “Can you help me find my puppy?” The suspect then drove away south on Norwood Avenue, police said. Police described the suspect as a white male with black, slicked-back hair, and wearing sunglasses and a black short sleeve shirt.
• April 17, 2016 - According to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, a man in civilian clothing who identified himself as a police officer allegedly approached a group of pre-teens around 5:30 p.m. while they were in Brookdale Park, which is located in Montclair and Bloomfield. The man – described as heavyset and about 50-years-old - reportedly asked the children “Do you want me to throw you in the van?” The children ran away and told police about the incident; they didn’t see any sign of a van in the area.
• March 11, 2016 - A 12-year-old girl in Montclair reported a possible luring incident to police, stating that a man in a black utility van with rear barn doors approached her around 10 p.m. on March 11 as she was walking on Midland Avenue near Brunswick Road. When the man allegedly told her to “get in,” she responded “no” and ran home, police said. The youth said that the man sounded “middle-aged” based on his voice.

Photo: Google Maps