Michelle Kim

NYPD: Man Seen Following Girl, 11, After School Has Mental Issues, Was Not a Stalker

A man seen following an 11-year-old girl as she walked home from school in Brooklyn earlier this week is mentally disabled and was not stalking the child, police said Wednesday. 

Authorities initially described the man as stalking the girl on Monday; that turned out not to be the case, they said they later learned. Cops say the man is known to walk around the neighborhood and poses no danger to anyone. 

The girl was walking down South Ninth Street in Williamsburg at around 4 p.m. when she noticed the man had appeared to be trailing her for about five blocks away, police said. She ran home to her apartment building. 

Police say the girl likely just got frightened.

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