Stranger who approached Shirley jogger was good Samaritan, police say
Shirley police said the “suspicious” person in a van who approached a woman jogging alone on Tuesday was just a good Samaritan offering a bottle of water.Police said Thursday they were able to identify the driver of the green van and confirm he did make contact with the jogger and offer a bottle of water, “because she appeared to be dehydrated from running on a warm day.”Police Chief Thomas Goulden said he met with both the driver and the jogger and incident has been resolved to the satisfaction of both sides. “The operator did not know that he had caused fear in the female jogger and was very apologetic that this act of kindness turned into a news story,” Goulden said. Shirley police issued an alert about the incident on Wednesday and stepped up patrols. The town is about 20 miles northeast of Princeton, Massachusetts, where 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte was killed on August 7 while out running alone. No arrests have been made in connection to her death, which was ruled a homicide.
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