Police: Abduction Scare in Selden Was a Prank

An incident in which female jogger was reported to have been forced into a van and possibly abducted in Selden Friday afternoon has been determined to have been a prank between friends, Suffolk police said Friday night.

The people behind the prank never called police so no criminal charges have been filed, police said.

The scare started when witnesses reported seeing a woman dressed in athletic attire forced into the van by one or two people at the intersection of Boyle Road and Rush Street at about 3:05 p.m., police said.

The participants in the prank called the police immediately when they saw the incident being reported in the media and on social media, police said. 

Police credited three youths–15-year-old Liam Wobler, of Selden, 12-year-old Sean Martinez, of Port Jefferson Station, and 12-year-old Anthony Foraci, of Port Jefferson Station–with providing “ articulate, observant, and extensive details to detectives” before the incident was determined to be a prank. One of the youths ran down the street to try to get the public’s attention, police said.

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