Police and community leaders urge calm and caution after reports of stalker in Flanders

Police and local community leaders are urging residents to remain calm but vigilant following reports of a man in a tan vehicle suspected of stalking people in separate incidents in Flanders.

“We don’t have any specific information that says there was an attempted abduction, we don’t have any specific information that says someone was watching kids. We have some suspicious incidents that we are taking seriously and that there is someone out there,” Southampton Police Sgt. Todd Spencer told a gathering of about 70 residents at the David W. Crohan Community Center Thursday night.

Spencer referred to an Oct. 4 incident involving Flanders resident Robin Southard, who was not present at the meeting because she was out of state visiting her daughter.

Reached after the meeting, Southard described her ordeal: she set out from her home on Glen Avenue for her daily bike ride through Bayview Pines at around 5:30 a.m. She noticed a beige sedan parked at the end of her block and heard the car start as she turned her bike’s light on. As she was about to pass the car, it made a left onto Longneck Boulevard. Diverting from her usual route, she made a right on Longneck. Nothing had aroused any fear so far, said Southard.

“I don’t know why I made a right when I always make a left, I just did,” she said.

She heard tires screech as the car turned around, then followed her as she headed toward the beach at the end of Longneck. She saw the car make a right onto Nash Avenue, and later saw it parked at the corner with Longneck as she rode south. She crossed June Avenue, where she said the car made a right. She made a right at the next block and twice spotted the car sitting in the middle of the street one block down as she crossed two more streets.

Starting to feel like she was in trouble, Southard turned up a driveway and got off her bike, standing near a tree next to the driveway. It was dark and she didn’t think she was visible. She saw the car come from the direction she just had, “flying around the corner,” and it drove up on the grass. Southard had dialed 911 on her cell phone by the time the car stopped, and a man she described as dark-skinned and just under six feet tall got out of the car and took one or two steps toward her. He retreated suddenly, got back in the car and “took off,” speeding around the corner and out of sight.

Southard said she doesn’t claim to know what the man’s intentions were, but said, “no good was going to come of it.”

Since that morning, Southard said, she’s spoken to a group of girls at a bus stop who said they had recently seen a man in a tan car parked near their spot. Southard said she urged their parents to report it to police.

Spencer said during the meeting that a newspaper delivery car had been stopped after a call about a suspicious vehicle – a common occurrence for officers patrolling in early morning. The car did not fit Southard’s description, he said.

Lt. Michael Zarro said police are treating the incident “very seriously” and the case has been turned over to the detective division.

Rich Naso, chair of the Flanders Citizens Advisory Committee, called for responsible caution in the community.

“I think everybody should remain somewhat civil about it, not make it into a witch hunt, but I think it is important to bring awareness to the situation and we shouldn’t fall into some sort of complacency,” said Naso.

Zarro said the best course of action for children is to try and stay in groups. Anyone feeling threatened should get to an occupied house, and if someone feels they are in imminent danger they should make noise, he said. One resident recommended carrying a whistle when out alone.

Zarro said he would be in touch with State Police and with Riverhead Police, as some residents spoke of a similar incident being reported in Riverhead recently. He said extra patrols have been implemented in the area.

A signup sheet for a neighborhood watch group was circulated, with three names on it by meeting’s end.

Southampton Councilman Christopher Nuzzi thanked all in attendance for their concern and urged vigilance.

“Communicate that information – what you know and what you see – to the police department,” he said.

Janice Young, president of the Bayview Pines Civic and Taxpayers Association, led the meeting and announced three upcoming meetings of local civic groups that will be held at the community center on October 15, 18 and November 1.

Southard said her main concern is for children in the area, and that she’s determined to find the man responsible for the nightmares she’s been experiencing for the past week.

“I just want the neighborhood to be aware,” she said.

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Micah Danney