A 35-year-old man with a high-profile federal job is being held in a Virginia jail on multiple felony charges for allegedly attempting to abduct two women and sexually assaulting them on Friday night.
Alexandria police said video shows the suspect, Jeff Gary, approaching a woman outside the Braddock Road Metro station.
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WATCH HEREThe woman told police Gary restrained and assaulted her. She called police and detectives immediately went to work to identify the suspect.
Then a call came in about a separate attack with an eerily similar description. Police said this attack happened one hour earlier and one Metro stop north, at Potomac Yard.
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SIGN UP At the Potomac Yard Metro station, the victim outlined the chilling details. She said she was on the upper level of the platform with her young daughter. The little girl was drinking a juice box and she and her mom were watching the trains.
The mom told police the man approached her, wrapped her up with his arms, pushed her up against the glass and started touching her in multiple areas. That's when the mom told police her young daughter did something a young girl might think to do: She took her juice box and started pouring it on the man attacking her mother. The victim told police the man didn't leave until another adult walked up.
“That Metro system kinda curves around and continues to go, and I really believe based off the facts and the information we have, that he was targeting females while riding the Metro,” Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said.
Police traced a Metro card to Gary. The card was registered to the address of the Federal Communications Commission. Metro police say Gary frequently took the Yellow Line from his apartment, which is right across the street from the Huntington Metro station.
NBC 4 Washington confirmed Gary has a law degree from Georgetown University, where he graduated with honors.
According to the criminal complaint, Gary was working at the FCC as an assistant division chief.
An FCC spokesperson told NBC Washington Monday that upon hearing of "this disturbing incident we took immediate action against this employee. His employment with the agency will be terminated."
NBC Washington tried to contact Gary's family for comment but hasn't heard back.
Gary is being held without bond and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for July.
