Officials say a widely shared claim about an unclothed child in a wooded area is inaccurate, clarifying what officers actually found during a response.
Howell, NJ – The Howell Township Police Department is pushing back against an online report alleging a disturbing incident involving a child near Newbury School, calling the claims inaccurate and providing new details about what officers encountered.
In a press release, the department said it became aware of a post circulating online that alleged “an unclothed child was located in a wooded area behind a residence at Newbury School.” Police stated plainly that “this report is inaccurate.”
According to the department, officers did respond to the general area, but the call involved a juvenile complaint rather than the situation described online. Authorities said juveniles were reported to be in the woods throwing rocks and breaking glass.
Police detail what officers found at the scene
When the caller confronted the group, police said one of the juveniles pulled down their pants, exposing their underwear, before fleeing the area.
Key Points
- Howell police say viral report of unclothed child near Newbury School is inaccurate
- Officers responded to a juvenile complaint involving vandalism in a wooded area
- Suspects fled before police arrived and were not located
“It has come to the attention of this department that [facebook page]has released an online post alleging an incident in Howell Township,” the department stated. “This post alleged an unclothed child was located in a wooded area behind a residence at Newbury School. This report is inaccurate.”
“Juveniles were alleged to be in the woods throwing rocks and breaking glass,” police said. “When the caller confronted the juvenile’s one of them pulled down their pants exposing their underwear only to the caller.”
Police said responding officers attempted to locate the juveniles but they had already left the area prior to arrival.