Gloucester Township police investigated a possible sex crime and determined that it was not, in fact, a luring incident.
According to authorities, a man attempted to speak to an eight-year-old and a nine-year-old who were playing together in their front yard in the township’s Glen Oaks development.
The man was driving a white SUV or SUV-type vehicle when he stopped near the children and motioned to them to approach the car. When he tried to talk to the children, they ran inside their Monroe Drive home and informed their parents.
Sometime later, a community notification alert was sent out about the possible luring incident. The man saw the alert and contacted police.
Police investigated the incident and determined that the man was not trying to lure the children. The man told police that he was visiting a relative who lived on Monroe Drive and stopped because he thought the children were waving to him.
The Gloucester Township Police Department issued a statement that police do not believe a crime was committed.
Although the man in this incident was not charged with luring, anyone charged with this offense in New Jersey faces significant consequences. As might be expected, NJ prosecutors often seek the maximum punishments allowed for defendants in sex crime cases. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:13-6, luring, enticing, and solicitation may be classified as second degree felonies and punished by up to 10 years in state prison.
For more information about this incident, check out the NJ.com article entitled “SUV Incident in Gloucester Township Not a Luring Attempt, Police Say.”
