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Message |
    
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4304
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 13, 2006 - 7:26 pm: | 
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This incident is different then the one being discussed in the Education Topic. Saturday afternoon a 7 year old girl was playing on her front lawn when a man in a van attempted to grab her and pull her in the van. Luckily the child was able to get away. This happened on Oakview, not far from the park.
I got this information from a friend's child, whose family is very close with the parents of the child who was almost abducted. I confirmed the story with the parents, so I know it to be true.
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Soda
Supporter
Username: Soda
Post Number: 3607
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 8:14 am: |
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Thanks for the hard-hitting journalism, JTA. I'm so relieved that there was no truth to the rumor that she was nearly carried off by bats...
-s. |
mjh
Supporter
Username: Mjh
Post Number: 388
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 9:16 am: |
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LOL |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4325
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 10:21 am: |
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Hehehe Soda. You're mixing up the two incidents. It was my sister, who was almost carried off by the bat. |
RAK1
Citizen
Username: Rak1
Post Number: 10
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 1:03 pm: |
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For a parent who lives on Oakview and has no idea what the inside joke is, you got my attention. Is there a real story here or are you just jerking us around? |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4332
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 3:24 pm: |
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RAK-
Yes, it is a real story. I had a couple emails asking me where on Oakview. SODA was busting my chops. An attempted abduction is a serious matter. I wouldn't make something like this up. |
Lydia
Supporter
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 1714
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 5:15 pm: |
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Justtheaunt,
While I doubt that you're making anything up, posting information that came from a friend-of-a-friend isn't always accurate.
I had a mother call me to tell me that her son and my daughter were "almost abducted" - turns out they were walking home from the bus and an adult friend slowed down in her car to say hi to my daughter - he didn't know the person and told his mother that a stranger had slowed down or something and he was scared. Fair enough, but if the mother hadn't reached me and started calling people, there could have been an unnecessary panic.
While the possiblity of a child being abducted randomly is terrifying, it's also so extremely rare that it always makes headlines.
Kids riding bikes without helmets, jaywalking on any street, or sleeping in a house without working smoke detectors are at a much greater risk of suffering serious harm or death.
Keep it all in perspective is my advice. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 12978
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 5:21 pm: |
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Thank you, Lydia. And the rumors and fear spread like wildfire.
Fear is in inverse proportion to the frequency of the activity. For example, we ride in cars a lot, so we feel safe. This is bass ackwards. It's one of the most dangerous things we do.
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wendy
Supporter
Username: Wendy
Post Number: 2078
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 5:25 pm: |
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I agree Lydia. And for all of us who think it was much safer way back when we were kids, just check the appropriate statistics for stranger abductions. There are no more now from what I understand than there were when we were growing up. We have more sound bites about them, that's for sure.
Which is not to say that I don't respect anyone's concern about their child's safety and would never call it irrational. Heck, I still don't think I'd fly in an airplane with just my husband, even though I know we're more likely to get killed in a car crash than an airplane.
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Lydia
Supporter
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 1715
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 6:00 pm: |
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I would call it irrational, but I'd also call my extreme fear of flying irrational.
Irrational is when you are faced with solid statistics and you still are frightened above and beyond what the chances are of you or your loved ones suffering harm.
I'm irrational about flying because I don't have any control in the matter.
Rationally, I don't have much control if a drunk driver is driving 60 MPH towards me the wrong way on an off-ramp, but at least I'm at the wheel. 
The tradition of boogie-men created with a bit of truth probably goes back to forever - witches, cats sucking the breath out of babies, the hook-man lurking around lovers' lane, etc.
Meanwhile, the number-one cause of death for 20th and 21st century children is still auto accidents.
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kmk
Supporter
Username: Kmk
Post Number: 1080
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 6:00 pm: |
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I need to hear both sides of the story too.
Perhaps there were custodial issues, need for attention from parents, flirting gone wrong, etc...
I absolutely would like to hear the full police report before I become overly concerned. I have a hunch that the danger level is no greater today than it was a month ago. |
jersey Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 337
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 6:47 pm: |
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Yeah, a month ago, when children were safe and we were focused on the milder threat of a high speed armored car chase with a shoot out. |
Lydia
Supporter
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 1716
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 7:00 pm: |
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A one in a million event Jersey boy - There was a heist in Livingston that spread out over 4-5 towns - the criminals were looking to steal bags of money in one of the richest towns in the USA.
What does that have to do with random abductions?
Nothing.
It does figure in to car dangers however - look both ways and then look again.
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J. Crohn
Supporter
Username: Jcrohn
Post Number: 2414
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 7:21 pm: |
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"witches, cats sucking the breath out of babies, the hook-man lurking around lovers' lane, etc."
Goat man. How could you forget about the goat man? |
Lydia
Supporter
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 1717
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 7:36 pm: |
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Jennifer -
DO NOT get me started on the Goat-Man!
It's so Pan...
Or perhaps Pan-cakes? Coincidence?
Oprah says there are no coincidences.
(Shivering) |
Virtual It Girl
Citizen
Username: Shh
Post Number: 4156
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 7:39 pm: |
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I have to say reading that post from JTA made me a little anxious about my kids walking up the block to school. Yesterday I was sick as a dog, could barely move and when my 4th grader ran out to leave I follwed her in my robe and slippers and watched her disappear up the hill. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4334
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 8:31 pm: |
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When I saw my friend today I asked again about this. I did get two things wrong. The child is a 6th grader, thought because my friend's child is seven the other child was too. Also, it happened on OakLAND not Oakview. Sorry. |
jersey Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 340
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 9:56 pm: |
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Umm, that's not the part you were supposed to be wrong about...
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John
Citizen
Username: Jdm
Post Number: 11
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 12:20 am: |
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Here's a good source on this topic. I found it on this page.
Note that of all 58,000+ non-family abductions (which includes a very large number of case of what many would not call kidnappings), fewer than 100 took place in the northeast. There's some lack of reliability in that statistic, but clearly the number is very very small, despite the area comprising 18% of the population of children in this country.
Also "Stereotypical Kidnappings," which does include the kind of stranger abductions discussed here, total 115 cases in the year studied, or about 2 per state (though one might expect that the distribution of such cases is not evenly spread throughout the country).
Another interesting comment in the report:
Teenagers were by far the most frequent victims of both stereotypical kidnappings and nonfamily abductions.
One nonfamily abduction:
A babysitter refused to let three children, ages 4, 7, and 10, go home until she was paid for prior babysitting. The babysitter detained the children against their will and did not allow the alarmed caretaker to contact the children because she did not answer the phone. When the babysitter finally answered the phone, she lied, telling the caretaker that the children were on their way home. The caretaker called the police to recover the children from a known location. (Not missing)
Surely this is nothing to be taken lightly, but as has been noted already, our children are much more likely to get hit by a car than abducted on the street by a stranger.
BTW, family-member abductions, usually related to custody cases, numbered 203,900 in the year studied (1999). |
Lydia
Supporter
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 1718
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 9:37 am: |
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JusttheAunt PL'ed me with a few more details - I'm familiar with the child who was supposedly approached by a stranger - she used to be at our bus stop and I'm friendly with her mother.
I can say almost with 100% certainty that there was not an abduction attempt in this case.
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Virtual It Girl
Citizen
Username: Shh
Post Number: 4160
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 10:07 am: |
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JTA pl'd me too.
Any ideas? What was it then? |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 6916
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 10:59 am: |
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OK - details? |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 10959
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 11:19 am: |
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I think that is a private matter. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4338
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 11:22 am: |
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Lydia-
Glad to know this. BUT maybe the family shouldn't lead others to believe it was. The family who originally told me were relieved to hear this when I called to tell the mom it was not a stranger.
Is this then the same incident mentioned in the Education Topic? |
Lydia
Supporter
Username: Lydial
Post Number: 1719
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 11:43 am: |
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Just the aunt -
If you knew 1 iota of what is going on in this child's life - if you knew her or her family you would realize that publicizing complete gossip and speculation about it on MOL is irresponsible and harmful.
Harmful mostly to the child and her family - but you might look inside yourself and ask what it is that motivates you to jump and post something when you know NOTHING about the situation except some back-fence gossip.
It is NO ONE's business who this child is, Justtheaunt, I ask you to stop PLing people with her name. |
Virtual It Girl
Citizen
Username: Shh
Post Number: 4162
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 12:02 pm: |
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Thanks Lydia,
I'm only happy to know it was not an attempted abduction and hope the girl is ok. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 4341
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 1:09 pm: |
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Lydia
I sent you a PL... |
Dave
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 8896
Registered: 4-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 2:54 pm: |
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Too many unanswered questions and I've received information that it didn't happen. Treating this as case closed. If additional information about an actual crime comes to light I will re-open the thread. In the meantime, let's keep this offline. |
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