Police Looking for Suspicious Man Who Approached Boy

Union City police are trying to identify a man who suspiciously approached an 8-year-old boy who was playing in his front yard last week.

Police said the man, described as a white male in his 50s or early 60s, drove up to a home in the area of Pecan and Red Maple streets last Thursday, popped the trunk of the car from the inside and walked within six to eight feet of the child.

The boy’s father, however, was sitting in his own vehicle and keeping eye on the child while talking on the cell phone. When he approached the man and asked if he could help him, the man said, “Oh no … nothing,” according to police.

The man then walked back to his car — a white 1998 Toyota Camry — closed the trunk and drove away toward Whipple Road.

Officers were sent to check the area but could not located him. An alert was sent to neighboring police agencies, with the Fremont Police Department completing a composite sketch of the man yesterday.

The man is described as a white male between 55 to 62 years old, 5-feet tall with a medium build and short “blondish-gray” hair. He was clean shaven and was wearing a dark, rust-colored button down long-sleeved shirt and wire rimmed glasses.

Police are not sure what the man’s intent was when approaching the boy and are asking the public to help identify him. Police are also hoping the man might come forward and explain his actions.

“We can’t think of any reason why this guy would have done what he did,” said Cmdr. Gloria Lopez-Vaughan. “He didn’t say anything to the boy or motion to grab him. It’s just very strange.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Union City Police Department investigations unit at (510) 675-5207 or by emailing tips@unioncity.org.

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