Man in Children's Fitting Room Triggers Mom's Concern

ORLAND PARK, IL — A concerned mom alerted police Monday after noticing a man in the same fitting room as her daughter at JC Penney in Orland Square Mall.

The woman took to social media to warn of the man, whom her daughter spotted "behind the door in the mirror." Within hours, the post was shared thousands of times.

"I could tell something was wrong by the look on her face and he came out after her," the woman wrote. The man reportedly then "leaned up against a rack pretending he was waiting for someone."

The woman alerted store employees, who told her they had replayed footage and the man did not seem to be there with any children, which alarmed the mother enough to contact police. After reviewing surveillance footage, Orland Park police think he was there with family.

"This has been investigated and the suspicious male subject was observed on store surveillance video shopping with what appeared to be young family members," said Detective Commander John Keating.

The dressing rooms are unisex with separate doors, Keating noted. No conversation took place and nothing criminal occurred, "just an uneasy feeling by the person reporting.

"He did not commit any crimes—after viewing the video he appeared like a normal shopper with his family."

The man's identity is not known, Keating told Patch.