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Police: Child Luring Incident In N.J. May Have Been A Misunderstanding

CLIFTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — Police in New Jersey believe a language barrier misunderstanding is responsible for a teenage girl thinking two men were trying to lure her into their van.

Clifton police say they found the van and the two men who were reported by a 13-year-old after she ran into her home.

MORE: Police: Attempted Luring Shakes Up Clifton, N.J. Neighborhood

The 13-year-old took a cellphone video of what appeared to be a white commercial van driving away from her house following the alleged incident on Wednesday around 3 p.m.

The girl said she noticed the van following another girl in the neighborhood. The van then allegedly pulled into her driveway and a passenger entered the girl's backyard claiming to have a package inside the vehicle.

Clifton attempted luring
Police are looking for this van following the attempted luring of a 13-year-old girl on Oct. 17, 2018, in Clifton, New Jersey. (Photo: Clifton Police)

She then ran inside and called police, her mother, and started recording the van drive away.

"She got startled and said, 'Oh no, not me,' and ran into the house. The dog followed her. She locked all the doors," the mother said.

Detectives questioned the men and said it appears the language barrier is what caused the problem however, police are still investigating the incident.

The teen was commended by Clifton police for calling 911. Authorities added that anyone taking video of a suspicious incident should send it to police first before posting on social media; to prevent misunderstandings from being blown out of proportion.

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