Police are investigating a report of a suspicious person who followed a girl on her walk to school Thursday morning in Marion, Massachusetts.
Around 8:40 a.m., police said a student at Sippican Elementary School told her teacher that she had been followed by a suspicious person while walking to school. The teacher immediately alerted school officials, who called Marion police.
The girl told the teacher she was walking on Pleasant Street when an adult, possibly wearing a mask, started walking quickly behind her. Spooked, she said she then ran the rest of the way to school, where she reported the incident.
The suspicious person was described as being about six feet tall, wearing dark clothing. No further physical description was released.
There was an increased police presence at the elementary school on Thursday as a result of the investigation.
Marion is a town of about 5,000 residents and is located in Plymouth County, just south of Wareham.
Neighbors who spoke to NBC10 Boston Thursday said how unusual the report was for a town they described as “sleepy and quiet” where everyone knows each other.
“It is extremely unusual, this is a very safe town typically. Everybody has an open-door policy with everybody, everybody is a neighbor, everybody is friendly,” said Nicole Delima, who works at a clinic across from the elementary school.
“I commend the school and the child for having the wits about them to go and tell someone,” said Rita Kilduff, a Marion resident. “So many kids feel they can’t or that somebody is going to laugh at them or they can’t speak the truth.”
The incident remains under active investigation, according to police. Anyone who may have noticed a suspicious person or suspicious activity in the area is asked to call 508-748-1212. Police are also asking residents in the area to reach out if they have doorbell or surveillance camera footage they can share.
