Did Stranger Offer Candy To Ridgewood Child? Cops Call It A 'Misunderstanding'

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ridgewood police are no longer investigating an incident on Sunday in which a stranger reportedly offered candy to a child, they said.

Police had said that shortly before 11:30 a.m., they responded to Ellington Road on a report of a possible luring attempt.

A witness told police that a man in a silver vehicle stopped and offered candy to a child playing in a yard.

"Fortunately, an alert adult from the residence made their presence known and the suspicious person fled the scene without making further contact with the child," said Captain Glenn Ender on Monday morning.

But late on Monday, Ender said that police concluded that the incident "was a result of a misunderstanding."

"There is no threat to public safety," he noted.

He said the child at the witness both acted "commendably" by immediately contacting the police and giving a description so that they could investigate.

He said detectives found the person and vehicle in question, and interviewed everyone involved. They also looked at evidence.

"It was determined that the interaction and report stemmed from a miscommunication," he said. "The individual's intent was confirmed to be non-malicious and no criminal activity occurred."

Chief Forest Lyons thanked those who reported the incident and cooperated in the investigation.

He reminded the community to "Trust your instincts and report anything that does not feel right. This ensures continued safety of our community."