L.I. Parents On Edge After Attempted Child Abductions
EAST ISLIP, N.Y. (CBS 2/1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Police on Long Island are warning parents to keep a close eye on their children following several incidents of attempted abductions, CBS 2HD's Jennifer McLogan reports.
In each incident, in Islip Terrace, Islip, Great River and East Islip, the elementary school-aged children described a bald man in his 40's or 50's with a white mustache or beard, reportedly driving a red pickup truck. Another child described the vehicle as a white van.
"I've spoken to my children, told them not to play in the front yard...keeping them in back yard," Patrice Rebholz, of East Islip, said.
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In one case he had a female passenger in a white pickup truck.
Suffolk County police said four children have been approached but ran away from the man and were not harmed.
"It scares me. Scares me to think my children could be outside and some random person could just try to come and take them," Jennifer Beaumont said. "It's sad that we have to watch our kids like this and keep such close eye on them. You think you're in a great neighborhood."
Wendell Chu, superintendent of the more than 4,700 pupil East Islip school district sent letters to parents asking them to help instruct kids at home about stranger danger.
"Our kids reacted exactly as they should have. They went to a safe place. They reported to an adult. The adults were able to make police reports," Chu said.
