An unidentified man showed up at the Children’s House Montessori School on Leavitt Street near Carlton Place in Flushing around 4:50 p.m. Monday and told staffers he was there to pick up a toddler enrolled in the day care, cops said.
Police initially claimed the apparent creep falsely said he was the girl’s grandpa, that the child’s dad was running late, and fled when the center wouldn’t release the child to him.
But the school now said he was another girl’s grandfather, according to PIX11.
“Upon further investigation it was determined that the individual being sought did not commit a criminal offense regarding this incident,” the NYPD said late Tuesday afternoon — several hours after releasing video and images of the suspect to the media.
“The investigation revealed that he was authorized to pick up a child from the location.”
The two children had very similar names, contributing to the mix-up, police sources told The Post.
Cops had initially said school employees found that he was not listed on the parents’ emergency contact list and turned him away.
A woman who answered the phone at the school said Tuesday it was a “misunderstanding” but referred further questions to police.
The man had said he would wait for the child outside before giving up and fleeing, police said initially.
The young girl remained secure inside the school and was not removed, cops said.
Footage initially released by cops shows the man wearing a tan shirt, khaki shorts and a camouflage baseball cap, speaking with someone in the building before that person directed him down the hallway.
