UPDATE: The suspect was taken into custody at around 2 am after crashing while fleeing from police at the intersection of Route 70 and Whitseville in Toms River.
The suspect’s identity is expected to be released by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office later Friday.
Original story continues below.
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Lakewood Shomrim announced Thursday night that at approximately 7:30 PM, they were summoned to the area of Forest Park Circle for reports of an attempted kidnapping. Shomrim members, along with Lakewood Police and other law enforcement agencies, responded swiftly to the scene.
Upon arrival, it was learned that an unknown individual, who appeared to be black or Hispanic, had attempted to force a teenage girl into a white SUV, but the victim fortunately managed to escape.
A second incident was reported shortly afterwards in a nearby town, presumably by the same suspect.
A massive manhunt for the suspect is now underway, with Shomrim collaborating with the Lakewood Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office.
Shomrim is urgently requesting anyone with surveillance cameras in the general area of Forest Park Circle to immediately call their hotline at 732-367-1212. Any footage or information that may aid in identifying the suspect is crucial to the investigation.