Police seek man in attempted abduction of 8-year-old at Johnston park

Police are looking for a person of interest in an attempted child abduction that reportedly occurred Friday afternoon at a park in Johnston, Rhode Island.

Johnston police issued a community alert about the incident at Johnston War Memorial Park and asked for the public’s help in the case.

NBC10 Boston affiliate WJAR reports the attempted abduction happened around 3:30 p.m. Friday and involves an 8-year-old child who was attending a summer camp at the park located at 1583 Hartford Avenue.

According to WJAR, police say the child was sitting on a park bench when a man jogging by approached her and removed a small brown bottle and cloth from his bag.

The man reportedly then wet the cloth with the substance in the bottle, and told the camper to “come here.”

The child yelled to camp counselors for help, and the man fled into the men’s restroom. He later left the bathroom shirtless and ran on foot towards Atwood Avenue, police said.

Officials could not find the man in the area. He’s described as being in his late 20s to early 30s, about 6 feet tall, with olive skin and black hair. He was last seen wearing a white or gray tank top, black and reddish shorts, and carrying a large black water bottle and crossbody bag, police said.

Anyone who was in the park at the time of the incident or who has any additional information is asked to contact Detective Michael Andreozzi at 401-757-3140.