Frightening: Man Reportedly Harassing Kids at Poughkeepsie Bus Stop

It's something every parent fears, hearing about a situation in a school, or in this case, at a bus stop, involving our children.  One Hudson Valley mom has shared her frightening story about a situation that happened at a Poughkeepsie bus stop before 7 am on Tuesday, September 20th.

Man Accused of Chasing Children at Town of Poughkeepsie Bus Stop

Taneekqua Mizell, a Hudson Valley mom whose high school-aged children get the bus right at the Valero gas station on Main Street in Poughkeepsie, received a phone call from home around 6:45 am on Tuesday, September 20th. Her boyfriend informed her that there was allegedly a Hispanic man sitting on the front steps of their home minutes earlier.

He was told to move from the steps, left, and then headed in the direction where her children were waiting for the bus.  Taneekqua explained that she was worried about her two kids at the bus stop, called their cell phones, but got no answer.

She immediately called back and her son picked up in a panic.

He told me that a Hispanic man was chasing him and his sister, that they had to keep running back and forth across Main Street to get away from him until the bus came.

Taneekqua shared this information in the Dutchess County Moms Facebook group, where a fellow mom immediately commented, saying that she too heard the commotion outside her window.

Amanda Brian-Rivera, who lives nearby the bus stop, reported to us directly that she and her husband woke up to screams outside, and when her husband looked out the window, he saw kids running across the street.  Initially thinking they were just playing around, she realized that the screams were not stopping.  Her husband was about to go outside when another nearby parent saw what was happening, ran out, and the man ran off.

Upon checking her outdoor camera, chilling screams can be heard coming from the area of the bus stop.

Taneekqua shared that since the incident, she contacted the Town of Poughkeepsie Police and filed a report. We spoke with the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department who confirmed that they received two calls regarding the incident, it is currently under investigation, and they have increased the patrols in the area.

Taneekqua reported that she spoke to her children's school directly to inform them of the situation, and also put in a call to the superintendent's office for the Arlington School District, indicating that as of Wednesday morning, she had yet to hear back from the school district office.

Not An Isolated Incident In This Area of Poughkeepsie

Taneekqua shared that the day before, Monday, September 19th, her nanny had been waiting at the bus stop for her youngest son's bus, in the same area, when the nanny noticed that 2 Hispanic men were taking pictures of her.  It was reported that the mother of another child from the same bus stop noticed this happening, came outside, and the men ran off.

Another local mom in the group, Jess Hayes, commented on the thread that a few weeks ago she too found a man sitting on her porch in the area off Raymond Avenue.  It was reported and turns out that the man from her front steps was found to be a registered sex offender.

This is a developing story.