u/see-sea7

Sharing my story to spread awareness and see if anyone else has had similar experiences in Point Pleasant beach NJ or any surrounding areas.

For background this happened in July 2023 when I was 19 (F) and my friend was 16 (F). My friend and I along with her family went down the shore and spent a weekend at Point Pleasant beach in NJ. Throughout the day my friend and I had noticed a middle aged man following us through shops and making direct and prolonged eye contact. We didn’t think much of it and as teens we mistook it for flirting and played along. Eventually this man got very close to us in a store and while looking directly in my eyes he started kissing another man. We both thought this was odd but assumed we were wrong about the flirting and kept going about our day. We saw him multiple more times even as it became dark, almost as though he was keeping an eye on us.

About 5 minutes after my friend and I saw that man for the last time of the night, a boy around our age approached us asking for my snap. He had came from a large group of boys standing off to the side in an alley alongside the boardwalk. One of his friends approached my friend asking for her snap as well. They said they didn’t have phones on them and had to put their names in our phones. They also didn’t seem to know modern terms or trends and kept saying weird code words to each other throughout our convo. They took a bunch of photos with us on our phones as well before letting us walk away. It was an odd encounter but again, we didn’t think much of it.

About 45 min later my friend and I headed out of an attraction and were immediately approached by the group of boys. I should note the two of us had been alone the entire evening and were still alone at this time. They convinced us to walk with them to the arcade, which was just a trick to get us to the dark and secluded end of the boardwalk. They REALLY wanted us to leave with them down another alley. My friend and I tried every excuse in the book and nothing was working. One of the boys was starting to realize we weren’t as susceptible as they thought and began to try to tell his friend they should go, but his friend was persistent. Eventually my friend told them that her dad was a cop and would be looking for us soon. They immediately left. We were shaken up after that and debated telling cops about our suspicions but there were hardly any cops around and we feared they had been in on it too.

Later that night the boy who approached me did end up texting me on snap, telling me all the things he wanted to do to me and offering to pick me up from our motel to take me with him to Montreal. He told me that he and his friends had spent the day at 6 flags, all live in a mansion in Albany NY, and traveled to Montreal often. Pictures from the Albany house as well as a house in Trenton NJ, and the 6 flags park had been posted on his snap story confirming this. He was a SoundCloud rapper and he and his friend both went by fake names.

I wanted to believe we were just gullible and dumb teenage girls who talked to some sketchy guys at a boardwalk who just wanted to get laid. And we tried to convince ourselves this, but to this day we both have an uncomfortable feeling about the night and it took awhile for us to stop over analyzing the situation. Is it possible the middle aged “gay” man was scouting us and sent the boys to approach us? Maybe the boys were working for someone as a way to live in the states? And could there be a trafficking ring from Trenton/Jersey to Albany and Montreal? I also thought they could possibly be gang affiliated or a friend group trying to get some girls for the night, but I mentioned something about crips and they didn’t pick up on it so I doubt that theory is true. I’m sure this all sounds far fetched, but has anyone had a similar experience?

Also I’m aware my friend and I were very dumb to interact in the first place and it was entirely my fault putting my younger friend in that situation, but we learned our lesson and there are no hard feelings. Maybe all of this was just a coincidence and I am still overthinking, but I’d love to share my story in hopes of connecting the dots for anyone who can relate. I can share more info regarding race, names, dates, and locations but not sure how much is safe to share publicly.

I am driving through the 1000 islands from the US to Canada and looking for some local (preferably non-touristy) spots to stop. I plan to make a detour to Alexandria Bay for a lunch restaurant I enjoy, as well as a stop in Rockport and a park in Mallorytown. I have a small dog with me and I don't want to detour more than 30 miles, but I'd love to walk around and see some local sights. I have driven through many times but only recently taken the time to stop and explore the beautiful area. I have been to Boldt Castle and a few other tourist attractions, so i am more so interested in local "hole in the wall" spots. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

I am driving through the 1000 islands from the US to Canada and looking for some local (preferably non-touristy) spots to stop. I plan to make a detour to Alexandria Bay for a lunch restaurant I enjoy, as well as a stop in Rockport and a park in Mallorytown. I have a small dog with me and I don't want to detour more than 30 miles, but I'd love to walk around and see some local sights. I have driven through many times but only recently taken the time to stop and explore the beautiful area. I have been to Boldt Castle and a few other tourist attractions, so i am more so interested in local "hole in the wall" spots. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!