Man Tried Luring Child From Harlem Playground, Police Say

HARLEM, NY — A man accused of attempting to lure a 7-year-old girl from a local Harlem park is still being sought by police officers, authorities said.

A 7-year-old girl was playing at the Martin Luther Jr. Playground, near West 114th Street and Lenox Avenue, at about 6 p.m. on Friday when a stranger approached her, police said.

The unidentified man strided up close to her and claimed to be a friend of her father's, police said. He allegedly stated his intention was to take her to his home, prompting the girl to scream and run.

The suspect then made his escape down Lenox Avenue, riding away on a Citi Bike, according to officials.

Police released an image of a person they say is connected to the incident and added that he appeared to have a medium build and is about six feet tall. At the time of the attempted luring, he was reportedly wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, a white baseball jersey, dark jeans, gray sneakers, a black face mask and a black hat.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).