Updated: Oct. 24 at 1 p.m.
Nassau County Police said that they have been notified of a suspicious maroon van that has been driving around East Meadow this week.
Authorities said that a report was filed on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. stating that the vehicle was seen on Park Avenue and East Meadow Avenue.
Police said that they are patrolling the streets for the van.
Residents said that the van was seen near McVey Elementary School around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The driver was said to be wearing a ski mask and the vehicle's back windows were covered.
In emails and via Facebook, parents have reported that a middle school student saw the van fitting the description on Tuesday while he was waiting for the bus. He said that the driver was slowly heading toward McVey Elementary School and that the back windows were covered with paper.
Residents said that the driver was also seen trying to talk to a 4 or 5-year-old girl that was walking in front of her mother. The mother yelled at her daughter to run back to her and the driver took off.
When this exploded on Monday law enforcement sources knew nothing about it, I can't help but think that this has taken on a life of it's own. When I picked up my child yesterday the first thing I heard about was the maroon van. Again I agree we should be vigilant but I think that the specifics of this story are a bit out there and it is playing on parents emotions especially on light of the recent events in South Jersey. Teaching our children good common sense about interacting with the world around them is a good idea, sharing specific stories and spreading rumor and urban myth is not a good idea.
Great points.. To Deb: The point is that the rumor mill is just that a rumor and gets distorted as the story expands and does take on a life of its own....
Perhaps the van was looking for an address, perhaps they were metal scrapers looking for old appliances left at the curb, perhaps they were can collectors looking for recyclables. All the above I mentioned are possibilities in case you did not know. Now every time a van drives down your block it is scary. It is OK to be concerned but overly cautious it what makes things bad... You might as well live under a rock or in a cave...
Really... Then call the police and let them know that your observation creeped you out... That is the only way they will know about the creepy things that you see....
You should be more concerned on who is reporting what to the police. Do not assume because one person reported it that it was enough. It is not.... You all need to report your version of what you have seen....
If this may actually be a person of interest, I'm pretty sure that the Walgreen's video cams might have caught something as it was right in front t of the entrance in their parking lot by the red box video thing. but now this is weird and it can easily get blown out of proportion. I mean the guy stopped me too and asked for $. I'm a middle aged chubby white guy, so again who is to say what about who this guy was. I dont recall the vans color as we speak, but I do recall doing something extra, I just cant recall at this moment. I may have jotted something down or something