The Manchester Township Police Department would like to assure the public that the possible child luring incident reported on March 6, 2016, was fully investigated and determined to be unsubstantiated.
Two neighborhood children playing outside the area of Sixth and Manchester Streets advised police that they were approached by a female operating a green vehicle, later determined through video surveillance to be a Kia Sol. One of the children said that the female driver inquired as to whether she had seen a black puppy and would assist her in the search.
During the course of the investigation, Detectives located the operator of the vehicle, who resides in the Toms River area, and discovered that she volunteers for a legitimate organization that searches for lost dogs in Ocean County. Investigators contacted the owners of the organization, who stated that the woman has volunteered for them for over three years. Investigators conducted an interview with the woman, who confirmed that she had been in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester Township looking for a lost dog.
The woman admitted to speaking to several people (adult and juvenile) in an attempt to locate the missing dog, including the child who reported the incident. The woman denied that she asked the victim to get into her vehicle. The 57 year old women was asked by Officers not to solicit help from neighborhood children. There was no indication of any criminal wrongdoing and this investigation is closed. Chief Parker said: “Our goal is to weed through all of the information we receive and determine what actually happened as quickly as possible. The community provided excellent information in what could have been a serious situation.”
The Manchester Township Police reminds residents that they can report suspicious activity by calling our non-emergency line at 732-657-6111. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the “Tip Line” tab at www.manchesterpolicenj.com. Please follow our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/manchesterpolice to receive our updates in your news feed.