Man tries using candy to lure 7-year-old from store bathroom then grabs him, NJ cops say
UPDATE: A suspect was arrested and is in custody, New Jersey State Police announced on June 2. Police didn’t identify the man as of the afternoon of June 2.
The original story is below.
A man tried kidnapping a child from a convenience store bathroom by offering him candy, New Jersey State Police said.
When his attempt to lure the 7-year-old boy away with him failed, he grabbed his arm and tried dragging him out of a Wawa store on State Highway 47 in Dorchester on May 28, according to state police.
However, the boy escaped the man’s grasp, state police said in a May 29 news release.
“The unidentified male departed prior to being located by the child’s family,” police said in a statement.
Initially, the boy was waiting for his mother when the man walked up to him, according to WPVI-TV.
Authorities are asking the public to contact them with any information they may have about the man, who was described as an older individual and has not been identified as of the afternoon of May 30.
Surveillance photos released by police show the suspect has gray, combed back hair and was wearing a maroon T-shirt and blue jeans inside the Wawa on May 28.
Wawa is a chain of stores on the East Coast offering food and fuel services.
McClatchy News contacted New Jersey State Police on May 30 inquiring about any updates and was awaiting a response.
Dorchester is about 40 miles southwest of Atlantic City.
This story was originally published May 30, 2023 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Man tries using candy to lure 7-year-old from store bathroom then grabs him, NJ cops say."
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