Police in Brooklyn are looking to speak with a man who's been reported to be lurking around Prospect Park, taking photos of young children.
A school teacher wrote on an online community board Tuesday warning parents and caretakers of a man "with a zoom lens taking pictures of the kids playing, including several young children with their nannies."
The teacher said she called police, who told her they were aware of the suspicious man and have been looking for him.
The man was gone by the time they responded to the teacher's call, police said.
A mother who frequents the Brooklyn Botanical Garden with her children said Wednesday she believes she has seen the same man there, also behaving suspiciously.
"He doesn't look very well-kempt, not necessarily homeless but may be," said the woman, who did not want to give her name. "He has a really nice camera, and he's often in the Botanical Gardens and he takes pictures of kids."
She said she reported the man to police last year.
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"I only saw him once this year, and I have three kids to chase so I didn't get a chance to report it," she said. "So I just get in between him and his lens and my kids."
Police want to speak with the man, but say it is not illegal to take pictures of anyone in a public place. But caretakers worry the activity could escalate.
"It's that whole progression of taking pictures, and then he's trying to lure a kid closer, and that's where I worry," said Laura Kelly.
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