We’re not putting these under the Crime Watch label because there’s no proof either person was a criminal or intending to commit a crime. But the two people who sent these reports felt concerned enough to want to share them – a man who approached a child in Lincoln Park last night, and a man who turned up in a stranger’s back yard – read on:
First, the Lincoln Park incident, reported by someone who asked not to be identified:
My family and I were attending an end of the year picnic for my 4-year-old’s preschool. There were approx 75- 100 people, adults and children and it was at the north end of Lincoln park, at the picnic shelter by the wading pool. All the kids were running around having fun.
At approx. 6:15 pm my oldest daughter, who turns eight soon, came up to me and my wife. She had been running around the field with two other girls of the same age and says…”Look what a man gave me” and showed us a Disneyland Keychain in her hand. I said “what man?” and she pointed at a person walking toward the street. I asked my wife if she recognized him, thinking maybe another parent. She said no. I immediately told everyone to stay there and I started walking after him.
From about fifty feet away, I called out “excuse me,” and there was no response. I called out several more times and finally when I was no more than ten feet behind him and yelled “hey,” he finally turned around and said “what do you want?” I said, “My daughter said you just handed her a toy over there, is that true?” he said yes and mumbled something. I asked him if he was attending the picnic or other event at the park, he said no and that he was alone just “walking in the park.” My exact words were….” Are you out of your f***ing mind and what world do you live in?, giving anything to a little girl in a park, do you know how this looks?” I then said…”and where are you going now?, do you have a car here?…he said no car and said he lived a couple blocks away and pointed to the area of the gas station at the north end. He then says “what do you want me to do?”..I told him I would like him to leave the park and that I was prepared to “assist” him with that. He goes “ok, ok” and goes out to the street….and turns RIGHT…SOUTHBOUND towards the ferry dock!!!!! (you said you lived the opposite direction)…I then got out my phone and called 911 as I followed him at a distance as not to alert him. I gave 911 full description as I walked all the way to ferry. Midway, he picked up his pace a bit and I lost sight of him at either the South entrance to park or ferry dock.
2 Police cars arrived at park after about ten minutes and I waved them down. They thanked me for calling and I gave them the following description….adult male, approx 48-55 years old, 5ft 7in or so, slim build, closely shaved head, no facial hair, either middle eastern or eastern european (spoke clear English, but with heavy accent). He was dressed in all black…black dress slacks, black short jacket and shoes and white or off-white buttoned shirt. This CREEP was up to no good and I can easily identify him again if I see him.
Meantime, Jennifer in Highland Park reports an unsettling sighting in her yard, 1200 block of SW Othello (map):
I just want to get the word out to people in my neighborhood that at about 5:30 (Tuesday 5/17), a strange man walked through my backyard, right in front of the back door. The man was white with grey hair, no glasses or facial hair. He had on a white t-shirt with blue and red letters. A moment after he walked by, I checked the backyard but did not see anyone. I can only imagine that he either ran to the front and jumped over the front fence or went to the back of the yard and jumped over the fence back there.
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