Suspect attempted to abduct 8-year-old girl near South Jersey school, officials say
Officials in Berlin Township, New Jersey, are asking the community to be on high alert after a man attempted to abduct an 8-year-old girl near John F. Kennedy Elementary School on Wednesday morning.
Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay and Berlin Township Police Chief Louis Bordi said in a joint news release that officers responded to the elementary school at 228 Mt. Vernon Avenue just after 8:45 a.m. for the incident.
The 8-year-old girl told John F. Kennedy Elementary School staff that a man approached her from behind and attempted to abduct her while she was walking to school in the area of Washington and Grove avenues, officials said. The 8-year-old might've stabbed the man in the face during the attempted abduction with a pencil she was carrying, according to officials. She wasn't injured during the incident.
The suspect had a dark beard. He was wearing dark clothes and a baseball cap with an unknown symbol on it, according to officials.
The attempted abduction is under investigation.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Berlin Township Police Department.
The school district declined to comment.
