The following is an email sent out to a neighborhood in Lakewood, and is being posted as per the guidance of Askonim:
Dear neighbors and friends,
It is with a heavy heart that we send this letter of awareness to the community. As we are all well aware, our children need constant protection from harm. However, living within a development, we tend to feel more secluded and safe from the outside world. Unfortunately, our child was taken by force while walking from his bus stop to our house, by a non-Jew who was either working or picking up someone in the development. He was then brought to the shul and molested.
As per the guidance of Rabbanim, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Lakewood Police Department, we are asking all parents to be extra vigilant with their children. In addition, if any other family has been affected chalilah or has ever seen something suspicious please discuss it with our Rav. This is our only hope of identifying the suspect and stopping him from causing more harm.
Always, if your child is not acting himself, do a thorough research, (and) yes, even within our secluded development these things happen.
Yeshouas vnechomos to the victim and family.
As our town is B’H blessed with many experienced certified Morei Horah shlita they should be consulted and their names published.
Btzipsah lyeshouah Bkorov
This is awful.
A rule about trauma, the trauma is highly affected by the response that is given to it. If G-d forbid a child suffers an unfortunate incident, whether molestation, a car accident, being left somewhere unintentionally, an attempted kidnapping etc. and the parents are told, the parents should make sure to respond in a calm and collected manner while still validating the child. An appropriate response would be, “oh, that is really not right/awful” in a very calm tone. In that same unalarming tone they should try to get information about what occured. At a later time they can teach about risks and safety. That is also taught in a calm, collectes, factual way, so as not to cause anxiety.
Scary! The only one who can really protect our children is Hashem. This is a good reminder to constantly daven for the welfare of our children. Thank you for posting this!
and nobody was in the shul or on the street in broad daylight light, watching that a non jew was forcing a young boy out of his car into a shul and molesting him?
The boy wasn’t screaming and nobody was there in the day while all the other parents are outside with children waiting for busseS?
Where in the shul was he molested?
just curious.
For you to read such an article and the first thing you write is asking for details because you are curious is wrong on so many levels. The first thought a human being should have after reading this article should be, I hope the child gets the help to recover and get past this terrible incident.
Very sad to hear about this…
If u want to catch the guy there will need to be more details given
Development or no development you gotta watch your kids!!!
Shouldnt witnesses speak to the police?
The developments should have cameras on all public places
^ YES!!!! Why don’t we? This should be number one on community development block grants!
Get cameras in the Shuls !!!
#4 – Perhaps you were not yet Zocheh to children and IYH when you are, you will understand how sensitively and careful this post was written.
BH and thank you to the very brave parent(s) for alerting and reminding us to this terrible crime that has happened in our community. It could not have been easy to step forward and certainly it is understood the importance of protecting the privacy of this innocent child and his family .
#4 – If this story sounds to strange or difficult for you to accept then don’t accept it and live your life as you do without adding any more steps to protect those who you love. If you believe the story but just want more details, then accept the information provided and realize that this is not about how any of us will or can help this child and or his family, rather this post is provided to open our eyes to be more vigilant and realize this horror can happen anywhere.
However, please do not choose to challenge this parent who bravely posted this and create even the slightest doubt that it is true. If you indeed have children of your own then look at them, stare at them, ask yourself what you would do if this happens to any of them. And, if you did not yet merit children of your own, then you cannot possibly understand what the parent posting this article went through to even write what was written. Therefore, you should never have posted your comment
well said. This is not the time for armchair analysis.
Something doesn’t seem right about this story. Why would a non Jew go to a shul? Sorry for the child and family. Just seems odd the way it was explained happening. Children need to educated to anyone they don’t know approaching them. I always told my children if they were in a situation like this to scream FIRE! People stop and listen and come running as opposed to screaming help or just yelling.
More cameras……..
Cameras? Every neighborhood should have, more important then snow removal
This is so sad ! Thank u for reminding us to constantly remind our children to run away from strangers or what to do if chas vshalom they are taken by force. Hashem should give him the strenth to get through this tramau and may he have no more pain.
What does ‘non-Jew’ have to do with it? To believe that jews committ no crimes is to have your head in the sand! It is no mitzvah to be naïve.
Parents must teach their children how to react in such circumstances by screaming and carrying on so that the perp lets go and runs.
which development
Cameras ???? How about parents put down your phones and watch your children
What is going on here? The only people responsible for the children are the parents. I don’t know how old this child was; however, if he was young enough, a parent should be at the bus stop waiting for him or a babysitter. NO excuses. You don’t need cameras, you need responsible parenting.
How about parents meeting their children at the school bus stop?
Agree. I posted the same comment. TLS won’t print it. Don’t get what was wrong with my post. Oh well. Please watch your children.
I was very bothered by this email! A development is safe?? That’s what we teach our kids? It’s from the outside world that we need to be careful about? Most of the abuse and molestation happens via people the victim knows. So please please don’t teach kids that they are safe unless some outsider approaches them.
Safety should be taught at a young age regardless where you live, learn or hang out
If you indeed know for a fact that it’s a non Jew, then you must have a lot more information about the Predator Why won’t you share it?
THANK YOU. And I hope the boy is ok.
Which Lakewood detective is on the case?
Sympathies to the boy and family.
Children need protection every minute! I was at the intersection of 4th and park, ridge etc this morning and watched 2 young boys nearly being killed!! Any adults around? None! The young boy of about seven put his hand out to stop the car to his left, but didn’t look to the right where a car was driving down and short stopped a hairsbreadth away from these 2 boys! Parents send their kids out, either having taught them how to cross or not taught them hiw to cross, but there was no supervision! The parents should say Hallel but of course they don’t know about this incident, nor do I know who the parents are to report!
Bottom line, we need heavenly protection always!!
To tataleh: non jew was a description for this case, that’s what it has to do with it!if you read it thoroughly especially where they ask others who experienced similar to speak with the rav as they try to locate the bum, that piece of information is very pertinent. Yes, unfortunately non jew may not be the case always but here it was.
TLS – what was wrong with my comment. All I said was that the responsibility for children is their parents. It’s different today. I lived and grew up in NY. Our parents let us alone until the street lights came on. It’s just not that way anymore. Feel sad for the kids today.
enough. tls posted your original comment!
Its hard for the parents to drive all the kids to the bus stops when the bus stops are quite a few blocks away this year….
We live in difficult times.
Stop the comments if who’s at fault and what parents need to do to protect cameras etc….
Just tell us where this happened so other families in that development can be diligent and also possibly help discover who this predator is
If sn adult knows for sure that it was a goy then i agree. But if it was a child who said it was a goy then i dont necessarily believe it because many many kids in todays age think anyone who doesnt dress with an obvious yamulka is a goy. But many people dress with caps or baseball caps and to them theu look like a goy.
Please make sure you are looking for the right culprit,. Goy or yid
This is a terrible thing to happen and very unfortunate,however as many are saying it doesn’t make total sense. When it doesn’t make sense it scares people more.
How do you know its a goy? A person who would do this can also take off his yamulka. How would a goy know a shul and if no one is in there.
There is alot more to this story.
To the parents who say there bus stops are in different places and its difficult. These are your kids,if you won’t who should watch them? Hashem yes,but he entrusted you. Wake up and stop blaming the world its your responsibility.