Berkeley Heights Incident Prompts Safety Reminder For Springfield Schools
Springfield school officials ask that residents be vigilante.
The Springfield school system has sent out safety reminders following the arrest of a man accused of attempting to lure a 9 year-old girl into his car in Berkeley Heights.
Summit Patch reports that Berkeley Heights police arrested Summit resident Elo R. Pintado after he allegedly tried to entice into his car a 9 year-old girl who was waiting outside of Thomas P. Hughes middle school in Berkeley Heights on Wednesday, Jan. 6. Pintado, who served five years in state prison for kidnapping, was arrested the following day.
While there have been no incidents reported in Springfield, Michael Antolino, Principal of Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School and Susie Hung, Principal of Edward V. Walton Early Childhood Center, sent out safety reminders to Springfield parents through the school's listserv asking residents to report suspicious activity and suspicious persons to law enforcement.
"It was a reminder to be vigilante, because we tend to forget," Springfield schools Director of Human Resources and Professional Development Ellyn Atherton said.
Brett Biebelberg
4:00 pm on Friday, January 8, 2010
In late February of last year, a middle school student was walking home from school on Meisel Avenue when the driver of a white minivan reportedly beeped at her, stopped, and asked to give her a ride. It happened to another student the same morning. Thankfully both resisted.
In 2004, a man walked into Sandmeier elementary school and attempted to steal money and personal belongings. Thankfully, this man was pressed by staff members and left the building without having much interaction with students.
Safety is always a concern, even in a small suburban town like Springfield, and there will always be room for improvement.