School Alert: Attempted Luring Incident Involving Two Middle School Boys

Montclair Public School officials issued an email alert to parents on Monday, saying that a white male tried to lure two middle school boys last Friday at about 6:15 p.m., in the area of Lorraine Avenue.

In the email alert, the suspect was described as a white male, age 50-55 years old, with gray hair, dark (black) eyebrows, and no facial hair. He was approximately 6 feet tall, and was heavy set.

The suspect was wearing gold rimmed glasses, a black jacket, tan/beige pants, and black dress shoes.

According to police, the two boys were ages 13 and 11, and were walking north on Park Street in the area of Lorraine Avenue when they first spotted a man walking on Lorraine Avenue. The man passed them and said "Hi" in a quiet voice. Soon after, the man turned around and began walking behind them on Park Street.

As the boys continued walking toward Buckingham Road, one of the boys noticed that the man had begun walking faster in an attempt to catch up with them. The boys then began to run and lost sight of the man.

Montclair School officials reminded students that they should not talk or go near strangers and that they should report any unusual situations immediately to an adult.

They also reminded parents to provide supervision of children before and after school, and on weekends, and to stay in constant contact with their children. 

If anyone has information regarding this incident, please contact the Montclair Police Department (Officer Ray Gulbin) at 973-744-1234

In other police news released Monday, there was a rash of burglaries over the Halloween weekend.

In a burglary on Lloyd Road on Friday, someone stole a purse from atop a kitchen chair containing a pair of prescription sunglasses worth $200, a black Christian Dior wallet worth $2,000, various forms of identification, and approximately $70. There are no suspects at this time. Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Terence Turner at 973-509-4724.

On Sunday morning, a resident on Aubrey Road reported a burglary. She said she left her home the previous day, only to return on Sunday to find a glass pane to the rear door had been smashed and that the outer storm door had been opened. Upon entering, she found the house ransacked, and the phone dead. The resident said a strong box had been stolen from a second-floor closet containing about $500 in euros and ID papers. There are no suspects at this time. Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Joseph Anderson at 973-509-4706.

In another burglary, this one on Saturday morning, a resident on Montclair Avenue said she had gone to bed the previous night at about 9 p.m. When she went to the kitchen on Saturday morning she found that her rust-colored leather purse, worth about $150, had been stolen from the kitchen counter. In the purse was about $300, various forms of ID, and a red leather wallet. Entry to the home appears to have been gained through a rear door that had been left unlocked prior to the theft. There are no suspects at this time. Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Ricky Singleton at 973-509-4722.

There was also an incident of vandalism at Glenfield Middle School on Sunday. After the burglar alarm went off, police found a broken window pane.

Police also made a series of arrests over the weekend.

On Saturday, police picked up a 16-year-old Lincoln Park girl in possession of two bags of marijuana in the area of the Exxon gas station. With her was William Barba, 19, of Montclair, who was found to have a counterfeit $100 bill and drug-related packaging and distribution materials, including digital scales and numerous zip-lock bags. Both were arrested.

Police also made a few arrests on Sunday, including the arrest of two teenagers caught breaking into a car on Forest Street. After a chase, a 13-year-old boy finally surrendered to police. Soon after, the 15-year-old with the boy tried to punch and tackle one of the police officers. Police arrested both boys. The owner of the car reported that an iPod and a Magellan GPS had been stolen from his unlocked Honda Accord.

In another arrest, also on Sunday, police saw a 16-year-old Montclair boy leaving a driveway on Portland Place. When the boy spotted police, he quickly put his hood up and began to walk brisly towards Park Street, where he began running. Later, police caught up with the boy and noticed the smell of alcohol on his breath. Police arrested him for underage drinking.