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The girl told officers that she was walking along Margaret Court — in a townhouse complex off Franklin Turnpike, near the Suffern border — when the dark-skinned driver, who looked to be about 30, pulled up in a dark, four-door sedan around 7:30 p.m. and asked if she wanted candy, Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli said this morning.
When she refused, she said, he pulled the car closer and grabbed her arm — leaving abrasions and red marks.
She ran, screaming for his sister, and the driver took off.
The girl described the vehicle as a Mitsubushi — or possibly a Galant — from 1998-2003, with blue license plates. It had been parked near where she had been playing earlier with friends, Batelli said the girl told police.
The chief ordered increased presence at township schools and the area surrounding the reported incident today.
Meanwhile, Schools Supt. C. Lauren Schoen told parents; “We take this incident very seriously, and our staff will remain attentive to the description we have received in order to maintain the safety of our students.”
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