An attempted child luring incident in Ocean County this week by a registered sex offender serves as a lesson in keeping kids safe on the streets.

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Ocean County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Al Della Fave commends the 14 and 15-year-old Lakewood girls who ran away from the stranger who was propositioning them and trying to coax them into his pickup truck Tuesday. He calls their reaction perfect.

"Perfect in terms of what the two young ladies did in running from the scene, telling somebody immediately about what happened, giving a full description of the individual and the vehicle he was in," said Della Fave.

Even the parent's reaction was perfect, according to Della Fave, because they immediately notified the police department that had patrols in the area, and were able to quickly surround the parameter and track the suspect down.

Della Fave said kids should walk in groups if possible. "As groups of children together there's strength in numbers. As you can see, a predator, they're looking to isolate the prey, the ones who are most at risk, he adds."

He also urged teens to pay attention to their surroundings. "For young teens who may have cell phones, don't let that distraction, that they're walking and they're texting or reading text, to get so involved in that electronic device that they're completely unaware of what's happening around them. That's an extreme danger."

Della Fave said the minute you recognize that a vehicle is slowing down in the area where you're walking and is getting too close, to quickly start to move away from that danger. He also advises that you make a lot of noise if you feel threatened to draw the attention of other people.

 

 

 

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