Local

Chelmsford mother believes man was trying to lure kids into the woods

CHELMSFORD, Mass. — 10-year-old Kayana Estrada and her 12-year-old brother, Nehemiah, knew something was wrong when they saw the man smile.

The siblings were on a swing set at Varney Playground in North Chelmsford Monday night, when they noticed the man behind them, lurking in the bushes.

“He was trying to catch our attention,” Kayana said.

Kayana said the man was throwing small rocks at them, and when she and Nehemiah turned to look, he smiled.

“There’s some weird man hiding in the bushes and looking at kids on the swing while no parents are around,” Nehemiah said. “Nobody is going to do that for no reason.”

The children said they ran to their parents, who were with other adults at the playground.

The children’s mother, Jennifer, believes the unidentified man was trying to lure her children into the woods.

She has no other explanation for what he was doing there.

“The sun was going down. Why would there be somebody in the bushes in dark clothing trying to catch children’s attention?” Jennifer said.

Jennifer said another adult at the park recorded cell phone video, parts of which were later turned over to the Chelmsford Police Department.

The video is dark and grainy, but appears to show a man standing in the woods.

When the adults questioned the man, Jennifer said he didn’t say anything and never explained what he was doing.

The parents didn’t confront the man because they were concerned he might have a weapon, Jennifer said.

Chelmsford Police Lieutenant Todd Ahern said investigators are still looking into the incident and officers are conducting “extra passes” through the park.

No other suspect information was available.

“It should be noted that Freeman Lake and Varney Park is an area where we conduct frequent passes daily so that everyone can partake in quiet and restful enjoyment of the beach and park area,” Lt. Ahern wrote in an email to Boston 25.

Jennifer posted about the incident in a Chelmsford community Facebook group to warn other parents.

“To me, he was trying to lure my kids into the bushes, because an adult that’s just hanging out in the bushes, why would you be throwing pebbles at the kids and then smile at them?” Jennifer said.