Police say man grabbing child at Fall River park was supporting her, no indication of abduction

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — Fall River police confirmed on Tuesday that a man accused of trying to rip a two-year-old from the Kennedy Park monkey bars was only helping the child reach the handles.

ABC 6 News spoke with the mother of the child, who said she was looking the other way, when she turned around and saw a man holding her daughter. She then chased after the man, who was at the park alone, and filmed him as he fled the park.

Fall River police spoke with the mother and witnesses on scene Monday morning.

“The individual, in fact, assisted the child onto the monkey bars and was supporting them,” said Det. Moses Pereira. “The mom noticed what was taking place.”

Fall River police said there is no indication that it was a possible abduction.

Even so, neighbors in the area of Kennedy Park were still shaken by the incident.

“I won’t go walking around at night here,” said one neighbor.

Another added, “It’s scary — if it happened once, it can happen again.”

Pereira advised parents to be cautious with their children in public settings.

“It sounds like this was a quick thing. It didn’t happen over a prolonged period of time,” he said. “She might not have been looking for a quick second, and then a man was with the child.”

As the investigation continues and police are still looking to identify the man, they urge anyone with information about the incident to contact the department.