Attempted Child Luring Reported In Summit, Police Warn (UPDATED)

SUMMIT, NJ — Update as of Saturday, Oct. 1: Police said an investigation revealed that there was no child luring incident on Maple Street outside the YMCA and no danger to the public.

Summit Police warned the community Friday morning about a possible attempted child luring incident that occurred Wednesday evening.

Police said a seven-year-old girl was waiting for a ride in front of the YMCA on Maple Street at around 5:30 p.m. when a woman driving a white car stopped in front of the building and told the child, "I have puppies back at my house."

The driver was described as a white middle-aged woman with blonde hair, according to police.

This incident was not immediately reported to police.

Summit Police provided a number of child safety and awareness tips for residents to follow:

• Teach your child to always "CHECK FIRST" before going anywhere with anyone at any time for any reason. This includes going with relatives and people known to the child. If it is impossible to check with the caregiver, then the answer is "NO! You may not go."
• Teach your child, when they are outside, to always walk with at least one other person. Groups of more than two are better.
• When your child is outside the house, do not allow them to wear clothing or a backpack or other articles with a name visible on it. Children are more likely to trust someone who calls them by name.
• Teach your child to stay more than an adult arm's length away from any car that is occupied by a person trying to talk to them, so that they cannot be reached by the person inside the car.
• Teach your that child if someone encourages him or her to get into a car, to help find a lost pet, or to leave with them for any reason, they should yell "NO" as loudly as possible and run to the closest adult that they know and trust. Yelling “NO," also called the POWER NO, indicates your child has been prepared for the situation.
• Teach your child to run in the opposite direction that the suspicious car is facing. It is harder to drive in reverse than straight ahead.
• Teach your child their full name, address and if, there is one, the "best" phone number (including area code) to call in case of an emergency. If you make it into a song, younger children may be more likely to remember it. If no phone number is reliable, teach your child to call 911 for help.
• Teach older children to pay attention to the color and make of the vehicle and/or its license information (state and number), the physical characteristics of the person(s), and location where they were approached. Suggest that this information be written down as soon as it can be done safely.
• Remind your child to call 911 to report any attempted luring.
• Make a daily note of the clothing your child is wearing just in case you need to provide that information later. Always have access to a recent photograph of your child.

This information can also be found on the city website.

Have a news tip? Email remy.samuels@patch.com.