Possible Luring Of Girl, 11, Investigated In Parsippany

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Parsippany police are seeking the public’s help with information in an incident that occurred Thursday morning when a male driver approached a preadolescent girl who was walking to the bus stop.

At 8:43 a.m. police were contacted by the mother of an 11-year-old girl to report a suspicious incident on Hawkins Avenue, authorities said.

After speaking with the juvenile and her mother, officers were advised a silver SUV, possibly a Lincoln Navigator with white stickers on the back, drove up to the juvenile and attempted to engage her in conversation while walking on the shoulder of Hawkins Avenue, police said.

The incident occurred around 8:25 a.m. and the girl ignored the man’s attempts to speak to her, at which time he turned onto a side street and left the area, police said.

The girl continued to the bus stop and boarded the bus without incident.

The driver is described as a white man in his mid to late 30s with short brown hair, short brown beard, and wearing a white t-shirt.

Police said no at no time did the man attempt to get the girl into his vehicle or allude to what his reasons were to speak to the female.

“Keeping our children safe is always of paramount importance. We urge you to be vigilant in making your children wary of strangers,” said Parsippany Schools Interim Superintendent LeRoy Seitz in a statement. “Please let them know to tell an adult immediately if an incident occurs and to try to get a license number if at all possible. Any incident needs to be reported immediately to a responsible adult and the police should always be notified.”

The incident is under investigation by the Parsippany Police Department and police are asking anyone with information to contact 973-263-4311.