Fairfax County’s serial groper may have struck again Thursday morning in Springfield, Va.
The victim was walking near the intersection of Floyd Avenue and Erving Street about 9 a.m. when someone grabbed her.
It’s near where the third victim was grabbed Sept. 27.
“I feel someone touching me from behind and I tried to push him away and when I turn back, I faced him and he ran away,” that victim said.
The 18-year-old said she can’t get the attack out of her mind, and the latest incident only intensifies her fear. She rarely leaves her house these days and never walks alone.
“I feel very insecure in my own neighborhood,” she said. “I don’t think the guy is even scared of police. I think the guy doesn’t care pretty much about anything. He doesn’t care who he touches or what damage he causes.”
Her mother worries the attacker could be a neighbor.
“It’s the second time right here,” she said. “Maybe this man lives right here.”
In Thursday’s attack, the man narrowly escaped police. By the time the 23-year-old victim grabbed her cellphone to call 911, an officer was approaching.
“We’ve got this area saturated with officers, and the thing is, this happens in a matter of seconds, and so obviously it’s something that’s very concerning,” said Lucy Caldwell, of Fairfax County police. “We’re devoting resources to it. We want to make an arrest.”
Police believe the 12th attack may have taken place Tuesday. A 49-year-old woman was groped while running along Blarney Stone Drive near Omega Court at about 10:30 a.m.
Police noted one difference in Thursday’s attack: He wore a black stocking cap in this cold weather.
“I hope the police will catch him because he makes this neighborhood very unsecure, very unsafe for all the kids,” the third victim said. “He’s a real threat to our community.”
