MARBLEHEAD — Police are asking for assistance after a 16-year-old girl was approached by a man who asked her to get into his car.
Shortly before 7 p.m. on Wednesday, the young girl, a visitor to Marblehead, was reportedly approached by the man in the area of Humphrey Street and Brookhouse Drive. She described the man as “possibly in his 30s and was either black or Hispanic” and the vehicle as “a small silver car — not an SUV,” according to a Facebook post from the Marblehead Police Department.
After being approached, the girl reportedly ran into a nearby building and locked herself into a public bathroom. She did not have access to a phone and estimated she was waiting in the bathroom for about a half hour before a family member arrived to pick her up from a pre-arranged appointment, according to the post.
Responding officers and detectives canvassed the area Wednesday evening and continue to investigate the matter. They are trying to determine if the incident was a case of mistaken identity, a miscommunication, a bad joke, or something worse, according to the post.
If anyone was in the area during the incident or have any information pertaining to it, Marblehead Police ask them to call 781-631-1212.
“If you have young family members, this would perhaps be a great teaching tool to demonstrate what to do when alone and approached by a stranger,” said Marblehead Police on the social media post. “This young woman appears to have done everything right, not getting too close to the vehicle, running as fast and as far away as she could from the vehicle, and seeking safety in a secured location.”
