Rochester Police have cleared up a reported abduction attempt after a day long investigation. Police received a phone tip from a resident who had done business with a man in a white van matching the description of the person suspected in the abduction attempt.
The investigation revealed that a man from Cohasset came to Rochester to buy hay and became lost trying to find his way home. The tipster told police that when the man left his business, he was wearing a mask due to an allergy to the hay. The lost driver, hoping to get directions, stopped when he saw the children but they became scared and fled. The victims identified the man from photos provided by police. He has no criminal record and it all appears to have been misunderstanding.
Rochester Police Chief Paul Magee praised the children for trusting their instincts and fleeing the area when the man stopped and also the parents for quickly reporting the incident to police. “It appears to be a case where the man showed poor judgment by stopping to ask young children for directions. In this day and age, people should know better than to do that.”
Rochester Police Department Press Release