BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
The Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office Composite Unit has released a sketch of the man who attempted to lure a sixth-grade Edgar Middle School student into his car last month.
On April 10, an 11-year-old student got off the school bus around 1:50 p.m. at the intersection of Norris and Bryant avenues in Metuchen and was approached by a white man with gray hair in a silver vehicle.
The student told police that the man said to “Drop your book bag and get in the car.” The girl did not get into the vehicle and when she saw another juvenile, who was her neighbor, she ran toward him and into his house. The parents of the juvenile then called police, police said.
Police Chief James Keane and Superinten-dent Theresa Sinatra told parents that student safety is a priority.
“We must always be mindful of the safety of our children,” they said. “The watchful eyes of parents, the police and the schools are our best resource in protecting our children.”
However, two incidents that occurred after the April 10 incident – April 21 and April 22 – involving a white-haired, white male in a silver, four-door vehicle have been investigated and cleared up.
“During each of these incidents, the man stopped his vehicle to speak with young girls in the area of Oak Avenue and Chestnut Avenue,” said Sinatra and Keane in a joint statement they sent to parents on May 8.
On April 21, the man approached three girls who were walking on Oak Avenue and asked from his vehicle, “How does it feel to be young?” and the girls ran off, police said.
On April 22, the same man stopped at a sidewalk ice-tea stand on East Chestnut Street and asked the children the same question. The man offered the kids a calendar and an animated movie, police said.
“The man spoke to the children in an attempt to be friendly and offer gifts, not knowing that it was highly inappropriate behavior in today’s climate,” they said.
Even though his action does not constitute a crime, the man in question, who lives outside of Metuchen, was advised to refrain from any similar acts, police said.
Metuchen police urge anyone who witnessed the April 10 incident or has been victim to similar incidents to call Metuchen police headquarters at (732) 632-8500.