I received an important e-mail message which I’m sharing with readers of this forum. I have intentionally removed names so as to protect the identify of those involved. This is not a hoax and is factual!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On November 15th, the York Daily Record ran an article with no names reporting an incident that occured at West Manchester Mall.

Please share this with everyone especially women in York County. This is too scary - don’t shop alone!!!

The BONuTON Stores, Inc

Subject: FW: Be careful shopping at West Manchester Mall

I received this email from [name withheld] (works at the Bon Ton for those of you who don’t know her); this is not a joke, this really happened.  Please tell every woman you know.  It could happen anywhere, but it’s so shocking when it happens so close to home and to someone you know.

FYI… my cousin’s sister-in-law was going shopping Friday night around 6 or 7 & she was abducted, beaten & raped right in the parking lot at West Manchester Mall.

Apparently a van was parked beside her & grabbed her when she got out of her car - thankfully he left her go - threw her out naked in the parkin glot - HORRIFIC!

Be VERY careful by yourself - please tell everyone you know - the police haven’t told the paper probably because of Christmas shoppers & this wouldn’t be good news!

[Name withheld] is really shaken up - just can’t imagne it! 

Be on the watch!!

West Manchester Mall is creepy, I’ve always preferred the Galleria.

I don’t like the line ‘the police haven’t told the paper because of Christmas shoppers’, pretty terrible thing to say.  If it is a true story, maybe police are withholding info because of the investigation.  I can’t believe they would care about the mall’s Christmas profits over public safety.

Here is the article I found when I searched:

http://www.ydr.com/search/ci_4652015

West Manchester Mall is creepy, I’ve always preferred the Galleria.

I don’t like the line ‘the police haven’t told the paper because of Christmas shoppers’, pretty terrible thing to say.  If it is a true story, maybe police are withholding info because of the investigation.  I can’t believe they would care about the mall’s Christmas profits over public safety.

I’ve never been that fond of West Manchester Mall either. It always seemed so dead even after they brought in a major anchor store-- Hecht Company. Hess Company used to be at that mall many, many years ago and there was hardly anyone that would be shopping in that store no matter what day or time of the week you would visit it. That particular mall turned into a teenager hangout, many of the teenagers that would hang out there gave the impression they were with gangs. When there was a rape incident at that mall several years ago that installed better lighting but still the mall is as you say rather creepy.

My favorite mall is Towsontowne Center Mall!

I don’t care for the layout of the new and improved Hunt Valley Mall. I expected better of that refurburishing job. I prefer all stores be under one roof especially in the winter. The Hunt Valley Mall seems to be a copycat of Tollgate up off of Leader Heights Road only on a major scale.

It seems once you’ve seen one Galleria, you’ve seen them all. The best Galleria Mall I’ve ever been in was the one in Houston Texas. I was hoping that when the Galleria Mall was being built here that it would be the same layout and have the same stores, etc. but it didn’t. Somehow this Galleria Mall was outdated by the time it was finished being built. I will admit it has gotten better than what it used to be. When it first opened up there was a lot of vacant stores. I noticed over the weekend that Carlton Cards is going out of business at the Galleria now as of December 24th they are done. No major sales taking place there and there won’t be. They are closing down because the mall owners increased their rent double.

And yes it is unfortunate that store owners, especially the major stores that have hundreds of thousands of other stores throughout the state and nation care more about profits than the safety of their customers. They are looking to reaping millions of dollars, while a small business owner will only earn a minute fraction of that.

The parking garage at Towsontown Center Maill gives ME the creeps - I hate parking in there, especially after the murder that took place there last year.  Its not even a convenient mall to shop in - no way to get from here-to-there conveniently within the mall.

I’ve been to the Galleria Mall in Houston - why in the world would you expect something like that in York County?  Neiman-Marcus????

I’m really not much of a shopper, but of our options, I do prefer the Galleria over West Manchester.  I don’t like the layout of Hunt Valley either, it’s just not very shopper friendly being outside.  I do like Greetings and Readings, so I’ll stop for that, but that’s about it. 

I work very close to Towson Towne Center and I don’t go there either, I wouldn’t feel very comfortable going there for the same reason as ksasma.  My co-worker’s wife got lost in the parking garage last week, she was really shaken.  Ended up she was just on the wrong floor.  I just don’t feel safe.... if only I could drag the husband along, maybe.... do they have a Sears??? LOL.

The parking garage at Towsontown Center Maill gives ME the creeps - I hate parking in there, especially after the murder that took place there last year.  Its not even a convenient mall to shop in - no way to get from here-to-there conveniently within the mall.

I agree to a certain extent. It depends on where you park at. The security at Towsontown Center Mall is #1 compared to the malls up here and elsewhere in Maryland. Mall Security monitors the parking garage via camera in the office, plus patrol via vehicle on a frequent basis. I know any time I’ve left the Mall I look around the parking area and before I step off the curb, from out of nowhere one of the security vehicles appears and I’m watched like a hawk until I am safely inside my vehicle and the security vehicle then speeds off quickly disappearing.

I don’t know which entrance door you use, but in all the years I’ve shopped there and that includes long before it became the major mall that it is today, I’ve never had a problem getting from here-to-there conveniently within the mall.

I’ve been to the Galleria Mall in Houston - why in the world would you expect something like that in York County?  Neiman-Marcus????

Neiman-Marcus is a good start. Towsontowne Center has a Neiman-Marcus and isn’t even a Galleria Mall.

Houston’s Galleria Mall is laid out better and the variety of stores are better quality and prices are way better than York’s Galleria Mall. Walking space in the Houston Galleria Mall is more roomier especially during the holiday season. You don’t feel squashed like sardines in a can. Store employees are a lot friendlier, polite and courteous. Even shoppers are more polite.

This is a very weird thread...starts out with a rape, ends up with favorite shopping venues…

We are women...we can go from one topic to another and back to the original post easily!!

LOL!!! The point is, we are the ones in danger and if “mall talk” gets the readers in here, then maybe they will be more careful.

By the way, I don’t like Towsontowne either. The distance from Hecht’s/Macy’s to Nordstrom’s is too far with 4 floors to cover. The concrete floors are terrible for feet & legs. I like Galleria & the outlets in Lancaster which offer better service and prices.

Besides, why do I want to drive to Towson & then pay SALES TAX when I can shop here tax free.

To those who like to shop & are worried about crime, ask for a mall security person to take you to your car or follow you in their vehicle. Personally, I shop in daylight if
I can. Has anyone heard if crime has increased in Hunt Valley now that the light rail has been back in service?

No person is safe.  At 6:00am leaving for work I was removing ice and snow from my car while it was warming up, a van pulled up next to me (at the time I lived in an apartment complex that was friendly and what I thought was safe). The windows in the van were dark and the driver (in a heated vehicle) was wearing gloves and sunglasses. He said he needed gas money.
(at 6:00am)his trip back ‘to get back to Anne Arundle County’, because his pregnant wife could not drive up to help him, was pathetic, but, I offered to put a five dollar bill on the sidewalk and he had to wait until I left to pick it up. He backed up and screamed “Bitch” at me then gunned it and raced out of the complex.  It took me the drive to work to really think about how close I came to being a victim.  I called the police, gave a description of the vehicle a bit of a plate number, they said ‘ no real crime, nothing can be done’. I agree, but it has made me realize that bad people outnumber good people, so be scared. If you scream, and they didn’t mean to hurt you, apologize, but otherwise, SCREAM.
I always look around at the cars around mine and the people who are around me especially in public.
Anyway, they probably would have dumped me out because Im a difficult hostage - just ask my husband.

bad people outnumber good people

No, we outnumber them, they just get more press.

That mall has got to be the worst location.  It’s a mall with no life, but low lifes.

stephen - 01 December 2006 07:58 AM

bad people outnumber good people

No, we outnumber them, they just get more press.

Exactly!