Suspicious car in the neighborhood? Springfield man says it might be him, playing Pokémon

A Springfield man wanted to send a message to his neighbors, letting them know they might see somebody strange on their street at night.

But it was no neighborhood watch warning or safety bulletin — just a man assuring folks he was after local Pokémon, not valuables or vehicles.

Josh Lindemann, a 34-year-old customer service representative, plays Pokémon Go, a video game in which people use their smartphones to catch virtual monsters. He told the News-Leader that his daughter plays, too, and they like to trade the digital creatures when they see each other.

MORE: Why you see so many people with their phones out in Springfield

Lindemann is aware that his behavior might appear differently to some of his neighbors, especially in light of recent posts he saw on Nextdoor, a community website where people can discuss local goings-on.

"Been seeing a lot of posts about suspicious people and vehicles roaming around," Lindemann wrote on Tuesday. "I'm posting this cause I've been pokemon hunting for my kid and I do this late night."

MORE: Here are all the Springfield-area Pokémon Go destinations, in one handy map

Lindemann included a description of his own vehicle in the post.

He continued to say he "would like to let people know not to be alarmed by my slow driving or the fact I park and the vehicle is still running. I'm not creeping, just found a pokemon I'm trying to capture."

Lindemann said the response to his post mostly had involved other people saying they, too, played PokémonGo. The smartphone game based on the decades-old franchise took off in 2016 and has retained a devoted following.

MORE: Pokemon Go dominates downtown square

"I just don't want people to go turning me in for prowling or stalking or doing what these other people are doing, these ne'er-do-wells or vagabonds," Lindemann told the News-Leader. "I'm not trying to make fun of the situation. It's just a way of covering my bases."

Spokesmen for the Springfield Police Department and the Greene County Sheriff's Office said they were not aware of any instances of callers misreporting Pokémon Go players as suspected criminals.