Police: Man attempted to lure child with candy in Toms River

Police are looking for a man who reportedly attempted to lure a child in Toms River last Friday.

A young boy was playing within a fenced in portion of his yard at 6 p.m. when his aunt observed a male driver pull up to the residence and stop, Ralph Stocco, spokesman for the Toms River Police Department, said in a release.

The child’s aunt, who was under the impression that the driver did not realize she was in the yard, distinctly heard the man say to the child, “Come on, I got candy,” Stocco said.

The woman immediately ran toward the street and screamed, and the vehicle fled west on Terrace Avenue toward Hooper Avenue, according to Stocco.

Sgt. Christopher McDowell developed the composite sketch, above, with the woman’s assistance.

Police describe the driver, who was operating a dark blue or black sport utility vehicle with New Jersey license plates, as a clean shaven white male in his early to mid-twenties with a thin build and medium to long black hair. He is wanted for questioning.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Louis Santora at (732) 349-0150 extension 1276 or send a private message at https://www.facebook.com/tomsriverpolice. All information will be kept strictly confidential.