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Calling police turned out to be the right thing, she said Friday.
Barely 24 hours later, another woman who was walking her dog in the same area of the Esplanade in the north end of town near Maywood was attacked more severely.
It was the same teen: He was carrying the same backpack as the night before, sources said.
Having been warned of the previous incident, the woman called police right away.
"They located the possible suspect within minutes," the first victim said. "The whole neighborhood submitted Ring doorbell footage to help identify the teen."
Police signed delinquency complaints against the teen, said Capt. Darrin DeWitt, the officer in charge of the department. He said he hopes the swift action "alleviates the public's concerns."
It does, the first victim said.
"It felt like I was making a big deal of nothing," she said, "but Hackensack police officers assured me I wasn't, because these types of situations usually escalate."
The officer, unfortunately, turned out to be correct.
"The bottom line is that it's always better to report something even if you’re unsure of it," said the victim, "because it could save someone else."
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