The largely Orthodox community of Borough Park was on high alert this week, and patrols by the 66th Precinct and the Shomrim civilian group in the Brooklyn neighborhood were increased, after a 4-year-old girl was abducted from a Borough Park street and sexually molested on Monday evening.
The Boro Park Shomrim, whose 150 volunteers patrol the area in cars and by foot around the clock, stepped up their activities this week, and sent out security alerts to residents, said Rabbi Jacob Daskal, coordinator.
In fliers and Internet notices, Shomrim urged parents to watch children, on summer vacation, who are playing outside, said Rabbi Daskal, who also serves as Shomrim coordinator with the police department. “We’re asking everybody to be more vigilant – if they see a car parked too long around children, give us a call.” (The Shomrim hotline number is [718] 871-6666.)
The 66th Precinct, which increased its street patrols this week, has established a Command Center on 52nd Street to monitor the situation, said Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
The abducted girl, who was playing outside her home, was grabbed by a man who shoved her into a car before exposing himself and fondling her, then leaving her in the nearby streets a few hours later, police said. They said they were looking for a white man driving a black vehicle.
“Ours is a community of children. People are very, very concerned,” Hikind told The Jewish Week Wednesday morning. He said this week’s incident came a little over a year after five attempted abductions of children in the same neighborhood.
“This is a wakeup call for everybody” to be more alert, he said. “You cannot let you child be unattended.”
Hikind said he will devote his talk show on WMCA radio, Saturday from 11 p.m. to midnight, to this topic.
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
