Attempted child lurings in O’Hara Township were 2 juveniles ‘joking around,’ police say

O'HARA TOWNSHIP, Pa. — UPDATE: The O’Hara Township Police Department said after investigating reports of child luring attempts in the area, it has been concluded that there was no intent to actually lure a child.

Police said the acts committed were done by two juveniles who believed they were “joking around.”

“This matter is being pursued seriously by the police department and appropriate action will be taken by the department in response to the public panic that was caused,” O’Hara Township police said in a statement.

ORIGINAL STORY: Police are asking the community to be vigilant after attempted child lurings were reported in O’Hara Township.

The back-to-back incidents have some parents on edge.

“That’s scary. That is the parent’s worst nightmare,” said Linh Phung, an O’Hara Township mother of a five-year-old daughter.

Camille Ng, who has two toddlers, agreed.

“When I read that, I was kind of shocked,” said the Sharpsburg mom. “It’s known to be relatively safe here.”

According to police, two separate groups of children reported being approached by two males in a sedan on Wednesday afternoon in the area of Crofton Drive.

The suspects reportedly offered them candy and attempted to wave the second group of children to the car.

“It’s fortunate that the children were smart enough not to listen to that kind of temptation,” Phung said. “I’m happy they were not hurt or affected.”

Police said the first group of kids was approached at 2 p.m., and the second at 2:15 p.m.

One of the suspects is described as a Black male, possibly in his 20s, with a larger build and “puffy hair” wearing a red sweatshirt. The second suspect is described as a white male with brown hair, possibly in his 20s, wearing a gray sweatshirt.

Police are now asking people to be aware of their surroundings and report anything suspicious.

“Typically, we’ll just let the kids roam around a little bit,” Ng said. “We’re not that worried about safety here but after this report, I think we got to stay a little bit more alert.”

The ages of the kids who were approached are unknown.

Surrounding police departments have been notified.

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