In the past month, the UCSD Police Department has received three different reports of indecent exposure in which a white male exposed himself to female students. The incidents all occurred on a Thursday, including Jan. 22, Jan. 29 and Feb. 19. UCSD police believe that the same individual was responsible for all three acts.
According to detective Nathaniel Floyd, indecent exposures on the UCSD campus are rare.
“It’s been years since we’ve actually had an indecent exposure case; it doesn’t happen that often, and it is surprising to have one, let alone three, cases,” Floyd said.
The suspect is described to have a height between 5-feet-9-inches and 6-feet-2-inches with a thin build and short dark brown hair. The suspect also has a tattoo on the calf of his left leg. During the first two incidents, the suspect wore a dark blue blazer, running shorts and running shoes.The suspect is described to be between 24 and 30 years old.
According to Floyd, the suspect typically waits in an area and tries to make eye contact with the victim. Floyd said that as soon as the victim makes eye contact, the suspect will expose his penis and masturbate in the victim’s presence.
“He typically wears running shorts and tennis shoes, and he’ll wait and pretend as if he’s stretching, getting ready to run,” Floyd said. “The incidents are very quick. Once eye contact is made, he exposes himself and, at that point, as the victim walks away, he also runs off into in the distance.”
The first incident occurred on Jan. 22 at 1:35 p.m. at UCSD School of Medicine’s Lot 608. The second incident occurred on Jan. 29 at 8:40 p.m. at Lot 403, near Canyonview Pool. During the Feb. 19 incident, which occurred at 3:15 p.m. at the Wagner Dance Studio near Mandell Weiss Theater, the suspect was described as wearing a long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.
“The consistent descriptions of the person and the mannerisms during the incidents led us to believe that this is the same person,” Floyd said. “It’s pretty consistent. And because it always happens on a Thursday, it seems to be the same person.”
“I don’t know if he’s a student or someone who is working in the area and was just given the opportunity to come into the campus at those times, so it’s hard to say if this person is a student or not,” Floyd said.
UCSD Police is asking anyone who has further information on the incidents to call a police dispatcher at (858) 534-4357.
According to Floyd, students should immediately call the police if they experience a similar incident.
“If you see the person, walk away; you don’t want to engage the person in conversation,” Floyd said. “If you happen to have a cell phone, you immediately leave the area, go to a place of safety and give us a call.”
