Man Arrested After Allegedly Approaching Young Girls In Quincy
QUINCY (CBS) – Police have arrested a man who they believe was approaching young girls in Quincy, trying to lure them into his car.
On Monday morning, Quincy Police put out an alert about three incidents that have occurred this month. The suspect, 20-year-old Benjamin Chen, turned himself into Quincy Police after watching news coverage of the investigation.
Officers said the first reported incident was last Thursday, January 9, around 4:30 p.m. on Coddington Street. A girl told investigators the man approached her and made inappropriate remarks through the window of his car. He drove off in an older model, gray, four-door car with scratches.
The next day, another girl told police a man with a similar description had also approached her Thursday around 4 p.m. on Taffrail Road. She said the same person had also approached her in the same area back on Saturday, January 4.
"In that incident, the male made inappropriate comments to her and then exited his vehicle. He ran towards her and her friends, but stopped a very short distance from his vehicle. She described the vehicle as a green SUV similar to a Jeep," Quincy Police said in a statement Monday.
Chen is charged with enticing a minor, accosting a person of the opposite sex, and soliciting sex for a fee.
Parents of students at both Snug Harbor Elementary School and Broad Meadows Middle School were notified about the incidents in emails Monday. In that notice, authorities had an additional detail about the January 4th incident, saying said the man asked, "Are you girls in high school and do you want to have sex for money?" The girls ran away and went to one of their homes.
Sharon Bourbon has a 13-year-old daughter. "Don't talk to anybody you don't know. And if somebody approaches you, just run and tell an adult," she said.
Parents were asked to talk to their children about what to do if someone makes your child feel uncomfortable or frightened.
The schools provided these tips:
• Encourage your child to walk to and from school with others;
• Teach your children not change plans regarding how they go home from school or where they go after school without first checking with your or your designated caretaker;
• Teach your child to say "No" to any adult who asks them to do something or somewhere without your permission;
• Tell your child to go away or leave a person immediately should they become frightened or confused by anyone;
• Instruct your child to tell any adult immediately should they become frightened or confused by anyone;
• Parents should notify the Quincy Police of any suspicious incidents