Fort Lee Police Beef Up Patrols in Light Of Luring Incidents

With potential cases of child luring pending in Bergen County in places such as Westwood, Oradell and Ridgewood, Fort Lee police say they are ramping up patrols in order to keep the borough’s children safe.

“With this luring going around throughout the county, we’re beefing up patrol, and we have undercover going all night,” Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas O. Ripoli told Patch Monday. “During school hours, we have them all over the place.”

Ripoli said extra personnel are working undercover and on patrol “so they’re visible; so they’re out there right now trying to protect the children in the town.”

Ripoli said there haven’t been any luring incidents in Fort Lee thus far, and that the Fort Lee Police Department is trying to keep it that way.

“As far as I’m concerned, no,” Ripoli said when asked if it could happen in Fort Lee.

“We have everybody out there, and everybody will be out there throughout the night and the daytime—school hours, before school hours—we’re holding the midnight shift over for the school hours so the kids can get to school safe,” Ripoli said.

Other potential luring incidents in the county include Westwood police searching for a man involved in a "potential luring incident" that occurred when a Westwood Jr./Sr. High School student was walking to school. A man driving a gray four-door hatchback allegedly stopped and offered the girl a ride. She declined and reported the incident when she got to school.

Oradell Police are also investigating a potential luring incident after a seven-year-old resident reported being approached by an unknown white male outside of her home last week.

And Ridgewood police are investigating a report that three men tried to lure a George Washington Middle School student into a car as she walked home from school on October 13.

Prior to that, an incident was reported in Maywood when a middle-aged man approached a young girl asking her to come "see his puppies."