Parents on edge after second alleged luring attempt in Schenectady
SCHENECTADY, NY (WRGB) — Parents in Schenectady are on edge following a report of an adult suspiciously approaching a child.
This alleged luring attempt is the second time this month that such report has been made.
The latest incident happened Monday afternoon near the Central Park rose garden around 3:45 p.m., according to Schenectady Police.
A parent reported to police that a man in a black SUV attempted to lure their child into his car by offering the child a stuffed animal.
The Schenectady City School District alerted parents later that same evening through multiple avenues.
While the district notified parents of Monday’s incident within hours of it happening, the same can’t be said for a similar incident that happened earlier this month when it took school officials more than 24 hours to alert parents about an alleged luring incident that happened February 10th.
In that case, a student reported being approached by a man in a vehicle on the corner of Bradt Street and Broadway around 8:15 a.m. Police say the man spoke with the student, then drove off before returning and offering the student a ride.
The district didn’t notify parents about the incident until around 1 p.m. the next day, which left some parents outraged.
One mother, who wanted to remain anonymous, spoke with CBS6’s Briana Supardi about her concerns.
“It’s unsettling. I do have a child that walks home from school, and the kids now that are walking home, if they’re not in a group, they all wear their headphones, they listen to music, they’re not paying attention to their surroundings,” she said. “So letting the kids or parents so they can send their kids a message, ‘hey, this happened, just keep your wits about you for the day walking home.’ I just feel that’s something that should be relayed.”
She says she wants the school district to do a better job in alerting parents when incidents like this get reported.
“They have a texting system. They have an app for the whole school district. They do emails. They have a parent portal. There’s many ways that they can communicate with the parents,” the mother said.
CBS6 reached out to the Schenectady City School District to request an interview. At this point, the district has not responded to our request.
Schenectady Police say they have spoken with the two men involved in the incidents. While it’s unclear whether the two incidents are related, the department stated “we do not believe there to be any additional safety concerns for those walking to and from school.”
Police tell CBS6 that no crimes have been committed.
