Rumors have been spreading in the past hour that a child has been abducted in Boro Park. Thanks to people utilizing text messaging, Twitter, emails, and blogs, the rumor spread like wildfire.
Here is what how one text read:
“UPDATE 5:38PM
Emergency Alert. A kidnapping of a Jewish boy happened in. Bp in the past 20 minutes. If u spot a silver car plate # eps 1200. Contact Bp. Shomrim Immediately grey chevy impala”
We received hundreds of inquiries in mere minutes, and contacted senior brass in the NYPD. Additionally, we contacted a Boro Park Shomrim Coordinator who told us that they had received one call to their hotline from a woman reporting a vehicle had taken a child from a street corner. That was the extent of the info that they had received.
The NYPD’s 66th Precinct quickly activated a Level 1 Mobilization Response, and along with Shomrim went to the street corner, and quickly accessed security cameras. A a few minutes later they identified a child entering a vehicle on the cameras.
Detectives and Shomrim tracked the vehicle a few blocks away and surrounded the vehicle. At the same time, a women exited her home and began walking to the vehicle to get her son who had been driven home by his therapist.
There was never any kidnapping, nor any attempt to kidnap a child. This was a simply a special needs child who was being driven home by a therapist.
Thanks to the fast work by Shomrim and the NYPD, the call to their hotline was taken seriously, and in a short time the child was located in good condition.
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18 Responses
People are so paranoid in Boro Park.
#1, Can you blame them?
Ummm, I can’t tell if that comment (#1) is a joke. Yes, they have every right to be paranoid. Afterall, Leiby ‘letzky a”h lived there and was killed. If I lived in boro park (or had children and lived anywhere) I’d be paranoid too. It means people care and want the children to be safe and cared for.
I really hope that post was a joke…
Why Paranoid? Would you not call? Would you wand to carry the guilt of not calling? I wouldn’t. Don’t discourage people from calling. I
The child wasn’t safe because of the shomrim or NYPD the child was safe because the child was never kidnapped!
#1, lets say your child Chas V’shalom was kidnapped and no one doing anything about it, would YOU say that was OK?!?
Do you blame us? The last few years every summer there’s a few attempted kidnappings and unfortunately a few actual incidents and then the Leiby story happened, so yes we’re paranoid.
I think #1 thinks its Purim today
This says it all:
Detectives and Shomrim tracked the vehicle a few blocks away and surrounded the vehicle. At the same time, a women exited her home and began walking to the vehicle to get her son who had been driven home by his therapist.
There was never any kidnapping, nor any attempt to kidnap a child. This was a simply a special needs child who was being driven home by a therapist.
The mother knew where the child was, the therapist was doing his or her job, and that is the end of it. Yes the people of BP are paranoid.
We should always call the cops when we see a child enter someones car.
#5, no one said anything about the child being safe because of the shomrim or nypd!
#1: What are you smoking??? Do you remember Leiby a”h? We will NEVER forget that. Having said so: “If you see something, say something”. This applies to all, not just the MTA.
People have no right to spread rumors. Whoever started this is a tipish. If this happens enough times the police will not take us seriously anymore. You cry wolf too many times they begin to ignore you.
Yes we need to be careful but this incident sounds like over-reaction. The police and shomrim cannot go chasing after every carpool vehicle driving kids home after school or from soccer practice or whatever. Sometimes there are kids from 3 or 4 different families in a car of van whose parents take turns driving to and from school and after school events. They are not kidnapping anyone and observers have to use some common sense.
#10- You’re being rediculous. I’m going to call the NYPD EVERY time I see your children get into your car, because I don’t know whou YOU are!
The question is what prompted the call. Thousands of kids are getting in and out of cars in BP every day. What made this situation appear differently?
#13, WHO IS SPREADING RUMORS?!?
#14, there are always two sides to a story. YW seems to have just written one side of it and that is making it a little bit harder to understand but you can’t blame anyone if you don’t know both sides of the story!
Amused,
Think about what you stated. If the police were called for every instance that a child got into a car than it would overwhelm the system. Also understand that not every child getting into a car is being kidnapped. How would you feel your car being surrounded by cops and ESU with guns drawn because your child was seen getting into your car and thought they were being kidnapped. See where this is going? So yeah BP is being paranoid. Come on use common sense not every child is being kidnapped 🙁