NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — Editor's Note: This story involves details and previous reporting about claims by a New Braunfels summer camp counselor about a thwarted kidnapping attempt which occurred on June 11. On June 24, city officials said an investigation discovered those claims to be false.
Two people attempted to pick up children from a summer camp in New Braunfels, and when questioned by staff, they hurriedly drove away. Police said the incident took place Friday during pickup at Fischer Park Nature Camp on 1946 Monarch Way.
Authorities said two people attempted to pick up the campers without authorization or permission from the parents. Staff reportedly noticed the suspects' name cards did not match the camp-issued name cards.
“Our small town is turning into a city, and with more population comes crime,” New Braunfels parent William Schere said.
When employees questioned the adults, they took off. The incident was reported to parents and the New Braunfels Police Department. Authorities are now investigating the incident.
On Monday, the New Braunfels Police Department issued this statement:
"The New Braunfels Police Department did take a report for a possible Attempted Kidnapping on Friday afternoon as a summer camp at Fischer Park was releasing children for the day. The incident remains under investigation by the NBPD Criminal Investigations Division. While we understand the cause for concern in the community, residents are urged to be patient while investigators gather the facts of the case, and that information will be shared as soon as possible without hindering the investigation. In the meantime, NBPD would like to remind all residents of New Braunfels to always remain vigilant about their surroundings (whether at home, work, or school) and we always encourage you to call 911 (or our non-emergency number at 830-221-4100) if you ever see any suspicious activity or behavior. We also encourage residents to follow NBPD’s social media pages on Facebook and Twitter as well as the City of New Braunfels website for updates on this and future investigations."
“Yeah, it’s definitely concerning,” Schere said.
On Saturday afternoon KENS 5 talked to parents at Fischer Park about what happened Friday evening.
“I’d never want to lose my kids due to someone playing the games they play, and taking them for what they wanted for,” Schere said.
Schere says it's because of how quickly things can go wrong that camps should require seeing IDs before releasing kids to parents.
“They had procedures in place and was able to stop it before it went any further. All you can is verify with the camp what their procedures are and making sure the people paying attention are actually paying attention,” Schere said.
Read the full statement from the camp below:
"Camp Minnehaha Parents & Guardians,
"We want to make you aware of an incident at the Fischer Park Nature Camp on Friday during pick up. Two individuals attempted to pick up campers without authorization or permission from the parents. Staff was diligent and noticed the name cards these individuals had in their car did not match the camp issued name cards. When further questioned, the individuals hurriedly left the park. The incident was reported immediately to the parents and the police. The police department is investigating the incident.
Please know that our staff did their very best to protect our campers and thankfully the outcome was good. Even though this did not happen at Camp Minnehaha, we wanted to make you aware of the incident."
Related links on KENS 5: