NJ Town Issues Halloween Curfew Citing Attempted Child Lurings

An 8 p.m. curfew for anyone younger than 18 will be in effect in New Milford, N.J., on Halloween and the night before the holiday amid a spate of attempted child lurings, police announced Tuesday.

In a statement, New Milford Police Chief Frank Papapietro said the curfew was being issued because of the recent child luring attempts in the borough and throughout northern New Jersey.

Papapietro also cited the discovery of a missing 12-year-old girl's body stuffed in a recycling container in southern New Jersey on Monday.

"With Halloween approaching, the possibility of large numbers of children on the streets creates too rich a target environment for pedophiles, especially given current events throughout the area," Papapietro said.

Under the curfew, children and teens younger than 18 will need to be accompanied by an adult over 21 after 8 p.m. Those found without an adult escort will be kept at police headquarters until they are picked up by an adult over 21.

"I fully regret having to implement such measures but as the safety of the borough’s children is in our hands, to ignore recent events would display an unpardonable lack of judgment on our part," Papapietro said. "We are requesting that parents be especially vigilant over their children while trick or treating and report suspicious activity immediately to your local police department."

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