June 28, 2016


This letter is to inform you that the Peapack and Gladstone Police are aware of an alleged incident in a neighboring town. It was brought to our attention on Monday 6/27/16, that an “Amber Alert” had been received by several juvenile camp attendees at the Municipal Building. This reported “Alert” stated that there was a missing child out of Peapack and Gladstone. Our officers immediately researched the matter and it was determined that there was never an Amber Alert or any other form of alert issued by our Police Department.

We were able to determine that on Friday June 24, 2016 at approximately 4:50 PM a juvenile was allegedly approached while riding his bike in the Brookside section of Mendham Twp. He claimed that while passing a “teal colored…later model/90’s Subaru” parked on the side of the road, a male attempted to speak with him. The boy stated that he did not stop and had no further contact with the male. He would later describe the male as being 5’7” tall, wearing jeans with a flannel shirt, and in his mid to upper 40’s. The child’s statement was not made until the day after the alleged interaction.

This incident was never reported to either of the two Police Departments in Mendham. It was posted on a social media site the following day (6/25/16) by a friend of the boy’s mother. Multiple calls were made on 6/25/16 by Mendham residents asking questions about the alleged incident. Mendham Twp. Police eventually located the involved juvenile and his mother who provided the details above. A later post on the same social media site by another resident stated that a late 90’s model green Subaru was seen near a park in Peapack and Gladstone. To date, no such report has ever made received by the Peapack and Gladstone Police Department.

To reiterate, there was never an Amber Alert issued by the Peapack and Gladstone Police Department nor was there a missing child from our Borough or a surrounding Municipality. We cannot stress enough the importance of contacting the Police at the time of an incident. Information provided hours or days later, while maybe beneficial, loses value the longer you wait to report it. Social media outlets are not a manner in which to report information to the Police. Regardless of how trivial you feel an incident is, do not hesitate to contact your Police Department.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.