Two people in an SUV attempted to lure a 16-year-old teen boy into their vehicle in Tilden Township on Dec. 20 and a scam attempt on Dec. 21 was made in the same area.
Tilden Township Police Chief William J. McEllroy III reports that an attempted child luring occurred at about 2 p.m. on Dec. 20 outside the Dollar Tree, 1780 Tilden Ridge Drive, Tilden Township. The incident was reported to police at 7:42 p.m. on Dec. 20.
According to the police report, a black Jeep Cherokee SUV approached the front of The Dollar Tree store. A man in the front right passenger seat spoke to a 16-year-old teen boy walking by.
“The passenger attempted to lure the child into the back of the vehicle by telling him that he had won a ‘home entertainment system,'” reports McEllroy.
The teen boy did not comply and reported the incident to a parent.
The man was described as having face stubble with possibly short clean cut brown hair. He was wearing a dark colored beanie hat and a black jacket.
Chief McEllroy reported in a Dec. 21 update that Tilden Police received a phone call that evening from a man in his 30s.
“(He) described a similar incident around the same date and time in the same strip mall in which the same subject talked to the complainant about winning a home entertainment system,” said the Chief. “Information received from other law enforcement sources today shows similar scams in other areas.”
Chief McEllroy advises everyone to be wary.
“Whether child luring or a scam, persons of all ages should be cautious when approached by strangers,” he said.
Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to call Tilden Township Police at 610-562-9001.
