What's the danger tonight?

Good rant but there were actually two different incidents. They’re trying to figure out if they are related.

I just now located the first incident.  However, in a vacuum, with no knowledge of the first incident, the police reaction was odd.  https://villagegreennj.com/police-and-fire/woman-thwarted-push-in-attack-in-maplewood-on-friday/  

Yes I agree, why didn't the police put a warning out there with the first incidence? I know we don't know if the two incidents were related or not, but maybe if something was said about the first incidence, more caution would have been taken? And even after the second incidence happened, the police still gave a vague warning - why not say someone was pushed into their home and sexually assaulted? This says something more, especially to women, then the vague watch out for strangers. And why no physical description?????

This whole thing is very strange. Heard about the two incidents this morning again on the news.They make it seem like everyone in this quiet town is in a state of fear. Checked the town web site and saw nothing.

From the article about the thwarted attacker, there is this quote:

The 53-year-old woman said that her attacker “”looks 16, 17, 18, young black male. Cream or gray zip-up sweat shirt with light camouflage pants. Slight, not athletic.”

*edited for clarity

jersey_boy said:
The 53-year-old woman said that her attacker “”looks 16, 17, 18, young black male. Cream or gray zip-up sweat shirt with light camouflage pants. Slight, not athletic.”

 What's the source for this? It's the first I'm reading it.

I can see why the police would not want to just broadly publish this information immediately following the report of the attack. How many young men are likely to be walking around Maplewood who would match or closely match that description?

I'm wondering would be a useful message for the police to transmit in the immediate aftermath of such an occurrence. If you sent out that description they would get a hundred calls within hours. If you sent out a warning to watch out for people following you, does that accomplish anything? I think some kind of timely notification would have been warranted, I just don't know what it would look like.

It's from Lanky's link:

https://villagegreennj.com/police-and-fire/woman-thwarted-push-in-attack-in-maplewood-on-friday/

It's the description of the thwarted attacker, there is no description of the person from the more recent attack, and it's not clear if they are related.

Based on that incredibly frightening and frustratingly vague initial “active investigation” email that went out, it could have been any number of things. Nuclear Launch, Alien Invasion, Zombie Apocalypse, Meteor Impact, Planet Nibiru, Sharknado.  Who knows.

and on FB, the inevitable insinuations that liberalism is interfering in the investigation.  A few people are already outraged that no description of the attacker has been released, and saying "you know why", as if the police are outrageously PC.

More likely is that any description they currently have is too vague to be of use.  The news reports are saying the police ar trying to see if video exists of the suspect so it can be used to identify him.

jersey_boy said:
It's from Lanky's link:
https://villagegreennj.com/police-and-fire/woman-thwarted-push-in-attack-in-maplewood-on-friday/
It's the description of the thwarted attacker, there is no description of the person from the more recent attack, and it's not clear if they are related.

Thanks for the clarification.

This is a perfect example of how information can get confused around incidents like these.  Your original post with the description wasn't specific about which incident it was related to.  There's a risk that someone reads your post and assumes that's the description of the person from the second attack.

I think we can all be guilty of vague or incomplete posts that can lead to confusion.

I do feel like local law enforcement could have put out some kind of bulletin more quickly after the attempted invasion.  It seems like the events of last Friday demonstrated an active risk to other people in the area.  But they surely couldn't publish a description that would turn every black teenager in Maplewood into a suspicious character.  The department's phones wouldn't stop ringing.

So instead they tell us to lock all our doors and windows, as if there was a gas leak.

GoSlugs said:
Here in SO there has been no notification. Good thing we built that impermeable wall at the city limits. 

 Did Maplewood pay for it? 

Not having Police Training I am not going to fault the Police as to what information they deem appropriate to give out. 

I agree that the first alert was very vague and confusing, but isn't it possible that they didn't put out details of a sexual assault to protect the victim?  As soon as a few details were released there were news trucks and police cars all over the street.  Can you imagine how she and her family feel having that circus out front.

galileo said:
This whole thing is very strange. Heard about the two incidents this morning again on the news.They make it seem like everyone in this quiet town is in a state of fear. Checked the town web site and saw nothing.

 Most of the women in my circles are in a state of fear. Why wouldn't we be with a rapist prowling about? If you are a man you have the luxury of leaving your house without having to scan your driveway, lawn, and bushes before you open the door.

We cannot live in fear but we can take reasonable precautions. I feel like too many people are floating around like we live in la-la land. Walking alone at night, not checking ones surroundings, leaving car doors unlocked with valuables inside, etc etc. These two particular incidents seem like situations where the victims were totally caught off guard. That being said, there are future incidents that can be avoided by being alert to ones environment. A reporter approached me after the second incident and I told her the same: I’m not going to be hiding behind windows and doors, but I’m also not going to be naive about criminal behavior in our town.

annielou said:
We cannot live in fear but we can take reasonable precautions. I feel like too many people are floating around like we live in la-la land. Walking alone at night, not checking ones surroundings, leaving car doors unlocked with valuables inside, etc etc. These two particular incidents seem like situations where the victims were totally caught off guard. That being said, there are future incidents that can be avoided by being alert to ones environment. A reporter approached me after the second incident and I told her the same: I’m not going to be hiding behind windows and doors,.  I  but I’m also not going to be naive about criminal behavior in our town.

 My brother and I talk about this all the time - particularly in the smartphone age, people are relatively oblivious to what is going on around them - the present modern age is a predator's paradise (but for the ubiquitous cameras).

That said, based on the details in the news story here, seems like the suspect was determined and calculated.  I feel terrible for the victim and this person really needs to be taken off our streets.

Please let's not start with victim-blaming here.

And don't protest and say you're not. Both of the last two posts are laying blame at the feet of the people who were attacked. 

This victim shaming accusation is BS. It’s well known that when criminals see an area that’s easy, they will return again and again. One unlocked car, and they’ll try all the cars. No one is blaming the two women who were basically ambushed. That’s a whole different scenario. I’m relaying precautions that can be heard at any neighborhood watch meeting. It’s called prevention.

In the context of this thread it's victim blaming.

You know exactly what is being said here. No one is blaming the two recent victims. 

Try to imagine you are one of these women, then re-read your words from that perspective.

I most certainly can imagine that because I’ve been in similar situations. Many women have. All the more reason to be cautious, but you can’t live your life in fear. 

I'm absolutely not victim blaming here, apologies if it came off that way.  

I'm bringing up a larger point - people need to keep their heads out of their phones when walking in public.  Not only for their own safety but the safety of others too.  Not just relative to crime, but even simply running someone over because one's attention is on one's facebook app rather than where one's feet are treading.

Thread drift - I agree with Lanky, it is crazy how people get so involved with their phones that they seem to have no clue what is going on around them. This is not in relation to the incidents - separate topic, I have no idea about specifics, this is a general observation of how many people choose to walk across streets, walk up the subway stairs, drive their car, walk in the parking lot,  walk down the sidewalk, sit in a running car on their phone. The adage of say something if you see something is gone, no one sees anything anymore. 

lanky said:
I just now located the first incident.  However, in a vacuum, with no knowledge of the first incident, the police reaction was odd.  https://villagegreennj.com/police-and-fire/woman-thwarted-push-in-attack-in-maplewood-on-friday/  

 tl;dr  Punk tried a push-in on a Clinton mom.  She f***ked his $*** up and tossed his a$$ into the street.

Anyone know if it’s legal to carry around mace in NJ? 

Answers to that question:

http://crime911.com/PepperSprayLegal.htm

My read on the lack of information from Law Enforcement is - they say more when they know less; say less when they know more.

Their quietness is reassuring to me. That's the sound of a stake out. They make sketches and post them when they have no idea. They're not doing that.

I think they know who it is and they're looking for him. One time I recall they apprehended a guy in Pennsylvania, at an address he was known to use. Releasing the description in Maplewood isn't going to help if the perp is in Pennsylvania.

Vigilance is, of course, still advised.

Two kids rang my mothers doorbell last night a little before 6pm - she didn't answer and they walked away but did not go to any others' houses. She called the police but they didn't call her to tell her the outcome. This was in the Clinton School area.

Remember, you can use cell phone, voice activation to call 911. You don't have to pull the phone out and hold it in your hand.