New Jersey

Man Tries to Lure 13-Year-Old Girl Into Van in New Jersey, Police Say

A video taken by the girl from inside her house shows the white van driving away down the street

What to Know

  • A man approached a 13-year-old girl in New Jersey and tried to lure her into a van, police said
  • The girl was playing in her backyard in Clifton when the man approached her and asked her to come get a package he was delivering
  • A video taken by the girl from inside the house shows the white van driving away down the street

A man approached a 13-year-old girl in New Jersey and tried to lure her into a van, police said.

The girl was playing with her dog in her backyard in Clifton around 3:10 p.m. on Wednesday when the man approached her and asked her to come get a package he was there to deliver, the Clifton Police Department said on its Facebook page.

“He said, ‘You have to come to the van, we have packages for you,’” the girl’s mother told NBC 4 New York.

The girl ran inside the house, locked the doors and called her parents, her mother said. A video taken by the girl from inside the house shows the white van driving away down the street.

After the incident, a principal and guidance counselor at the girl’s school had to reassure her that she was safe.

“She doesn’t want to be alone,” her mom said

Schools in the area shared the video and have asked parents to be on the lookout.

Clifton police describe the man who approached the girl as being in his 40s and standing at around 5-foot-5, with a “thin build and dark, curly, short hair.”

He was last seen wearing a grey sweater, blue jeans and glasses, according to police. The driver of the van was described as a man in his 50s who was wearing a red t-shirt.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Clifton Police Department Communications Center at 973-470-5911 or the Clifton Police Juvenile Bureau at 973-470-5882.

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