Union City police are trying to identify a man who suspiciously approached an 8-year-old boy who was playing in his front yard last week.
Police said the man, described as a white male in his 50s or early 60s, drove up to a home in the area of Pecan and Red Maple streets last Thursday, popped the trunk of the car from the inside and walked within six to eight feet of the child.
The boy’s father, however, was sitting in his own vehicle and keeping eye on the child while talking on the cell phone. When he approached the man and asked if he could help him, the man said, “Oh no … nothing,” according to police.
The man then walked back to his car — a white 1998 Toyota Camry — closed the trunk and drove away toward Whipple Road.
Officers were sent to check the area but could not located him. An alert was sent to neighboring police agencies, with the Fremont Police Department completing a composite sketch of the man yesterday.
The man is described as a white male between 55 to 62 years old, 5-feet tall with a medium build and short “blondish-gray” hair. He was clean shaven and was wearing a dark, rust-colored button down long-sleeved shirt and wire rimmed glasses.
Police are not sure what the man’s intent was when approaching the boy and are asking the public to help identify him. Police are also hoping the man might come forward and explain his actions.
“We can’t think of any reason why this guy would have done what he did,” said Cmdr. Gloria Lopez-Vaughan. “He didn’t say anything to the boy or motion to grab him. It’s just very strange.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Union City Police Department investigations unit at (510) 675-5207 or by emailing tips@unioncity.org.
-----
Like Union City Patch on Facebook | Follow Union City Patch on Twitter | Get Free Union City Patch Newsletters | Blog for Union City Patch
I have to say, if I was that guy, and read this story, I would be inclined to NOT call the police to explain. Why? Because you'd get slapped on some list of suspected "something"... Getting so whether in a neighborhood or in a park, you can't simply pass by a child and say something normal, without arousing suspicion. Yet a adult female can do the same thing and be considered safe. Reminds me of the Qantas Air policy of reallocating seats to avoid males sitting next to unaccompanied children. Yet not doing the same for females.
The guy was having a "Senior Moment" and pulled up thinking he was back in his Youth and was smuggling a friend into the Union City Drive In. Upon being approached by the father of said boy, he got snapped back to Reality and his Dementia went dormant once again. These things happen to elderly everyday. It was pure coincidence that he stop near a boy. Just because he has that Gacy Vibe, doesn't mean he has a Basement full of little boys.
I'm telling you, if you are just walking down a residential street and you happen to say something to a kid playing on the street, there is a substantial group of people these days who think such behavior is "suspicious"... or even inappropriate. No matter if you are just being friendly, as most folks were 50 years ago. So, using my example of just walking down a residential street. Is it OK to stop briefly and say something to a child (within 6 to 8 feet)? Or is that simple act to be frowned upon in our modern society? Cause for calling police.
I know what you mean, I too have been on the receiving end of "Suspicious" 911 Calls all because I simply walked down a Public Sidewalk. People will cry Wolf no matter what, their Lives are so boring that they need some excitement. Personally, I don't say hi to Kids in Public not because I'm worried about what people might think but because I usually end up getting the Attention of their Parents. It often becomes a heated exchange and all kinds of Drama unfolds. It's OK for Junior to call me a Fatso, yet when I respond with "Oh yeah!? Your a Waste of Sperm!" I'm the bad guy! It usually ends with me flipping both the kids and Parents off or me telling em to eat shit. I don't care how old you are, screw with me and your getting confronted. End of.
1) He was a stranger 2) When approached by the Father, he refuses to be questioned and leaves without any explanation to what his intentions were? ... Seriously, it doesn't take a psychologist to analyze this scenario. Let's just say the Father was acting on his protective instinct. A strange man approaches your kid without any logical reason or an explanation - I WOULD DEFINITELY REPORT IT. Parents Be Aware!
A. Get of of the car and approach the man. B. think to yourself, ahh it's ok I don't think he's a problem, I'd just be wrongly judging him if I get out of my car. C. Drive away and grab a beer. Just saying...
I am however concerned about what Shelly said.. as follows. "If you are a grown man or woman you have no business what so ever to approach a child playing in their year (yard?). You do not know the family or the child. " So, say you LIVE in a neighborhood and you like to walk around the blocks for exercise. So you pass a hundred or two hundred houses as you get your exercise. Often kids are playing out front on the lawn or on the sidewalk. Is Shelly or others saying, don't even talk to them, or parents like her will yell at you and tell you to get the hell away from their child? Again, for the sake of discussion, lets not include the incident described in the above article. But just walking in a residential neighborhood, is it forbidden for adult males to even say normal greetings and perhaps a innocent discussion with any child from 4 to 14 ? I'm just wondering what the current norms are in your neighborhood. I've lived for decades in my neighborhood and I can assure you, if I see a couple of 9 or 10 year old kids playing, I'm gonna say something nice to them, and good God almighty, I might even be within 8 feet of them when doing so. So, would that arouse many of you to run out of the house and say "stay the hell away from my children" ?