Bangor Police Respond To Social Media Kidnapping Claims

Parents in Bangor were on high alert Monday, following disturbing reports on social media of an incident claiming to have taken place in the area of Old Capehart.

A post started to circulate on Facebook that an attempted kidnapping had taken place near Blue Hill Drive in the community of Dirigo Drive in Bangor, first on a local neighborhood watch Facebook Page. Once the original post went up, it spread like wildfire.

The author suggested that two individuals allegedly tried to abduct a pair of young kids from the area. They described the suspects:

"The driver was male, in a black jumpsuit, female passenger (unsure of description of clothes), both wearing medical masks, jumped out of the van, opened the back door, and chased two young girls. 1 girl fell while being chased down the trail, and they attempted to grab her."

There was also a mention that a BOLO had been put out for the vehicle, which was not true, according to the Bangor Police Department's Public Information Officer, Sgt. Jeremy Brock.

Sgt. Brock did verify that there was a report of a possible abduction made in that area at around 10:30 Monday morning, and Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division did spend most of the late morning/early afternoon in the area conducting an investigation. But he said authorities do not believe the public is in imminent danger at the moment.

"Bangor Police quickly responded to a kidnapping call in the area of Blue Hill West. Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division spoke with several witnesses in the neighborhood, reviewed video in the area, and are continuing to investigate the
complaint. At this time, there are no verifiable threats to the public and no reports of anyone missing as a result of this incident."

Sgt. Brock does reiterate that the Bangor PD suggests that parents be aware of where their kids are playing, and that all citizens should be aware of their surroundings, and who is coming and going that might not be local to their neighborhood. He also recommends calling the cops when someone sees something suspicious, so they can investigate.

The investigation is ongoing, says Brock, "because of the seriousness of the allegation, we will run it down as far as we can, but there is no verifiable information that the community is in danger."

Monday's alleged incident comes on the heels of another unsettling incident that was widely circulated online about a week ago. This situation allegedly took place in Penobscot County on Indian Island near the parking lot of a local church. A post was put out, warning area parents to be watchful, after someone, allegedly from out of town, approached another local child and fled when the child's parent and a police officer with the Penobscot Nation came to see what was happening.

There was a Be On The Lookout (or BOLO) alert sent out on that vehicle, which was reported later that day to have pulled into a driveway in Hancock County and then into a store parking lot in the area, but authorities were never able to catch up with the vehicle when they went to investigate.

Understandably, parents in the area have found this all a bit unnerving. It's an unfortunate reminder of how important talking to your kids about stranger danger and situational awareness is, and what to do in case they are ever approached by someone they don't know.

It's also important that folks in the community keep a watchful eye out for anything that doesn't seem right, especially when it comes to kids playing in the area.

With schools across Maine on summer break, more kids will be playing outside.

Here are some important summer safety concepts you'll want to make sure your kids are familiar with before they head outside.

Click here for other tips on how to keep your kids safe when they're playing in the yard this summer.