Suspect sketch issued in UCF gropings; 5 attacks reported
Authorities released a sketch Thursday of the man suspected of groping or lunging at several women recently at the University of Central Florida.
Campus police say they also are looking into two additional incidents that took place in November — bringing the total number of cases to five.
This week, two women reported that they were touched in campus parking garages last year. One woman told authorities that a man followed her in Parking Garage A and asked for help starting his car.
According to police, while the woman was looking for the suspect’s car, the man put his hand on her back and collarbone, saying she had a scratch. He also tried to grab her leg.
“I bet you have a scratch here too,” the man reportedly said.
Police believe the woman was followed to Garage A from Garage C, where at least three other similar incidents have taken place. In each case, the victims told police that a man requested help starting his car before pointing out nonexistant scratches in an attempt to touch them.
A woman also told police that a man tried grabbing her in the Business Administration II building, near Parking Garage C on the east side of campus.
During the most recent incident, which happened Monday, a man reportedly cornered the victim and asked for a jump-start. He tried getting in the woman’s car before reaching out to point at a scratch on the woman’s leg, the victim told dispatchers.
“For a moment, I almost turned around but then I realized he probably wanted me to turn around so he can maybe push me against my car or something," she said in a 911 call.
The woman said she pushed the man to put him in plain sight. The suspect took off running out of the garage, she told authorities.
The man is described as a 5’7’’ college-aged man with dark hair, wearing glasses and speaking with an accent. Police ask anybody with information to call 407-823-5555.