Police Looking for Man Who Exposed Himself to 13-Year-Old Girl

Police are asking the public to be on the lookout for an unidentified man who exposed himself to a 13-year-old student at Fairfield Woods Middle School on Monday afternoon as she walked home from school.

Police Sgt. Sue Lussier, a department spokesman, said the girl was walking home about 4:14 p.m. and, when she reached a south curb by Fairfield Woods Road and Palamar Drive, she pushed a crosswalk button. Eastbound traffic had a red light, and a man driving a full-size, white work van, who was stopped at the red light, called out to her, lifted himself from his seat and exposed himself through an open passenger window, police said. "The light turned green in a matter of seconds and the van travelled on toward Bridgeport," Lussier said.

The man was described as about 50 years old; bald, with a little gray hair on the sides of his head; average build; possibly Hispanic; and lacking an accent. Police said the girl did not get the license plate of the van or the words formed by the black lettering on the side of the van.

Gary Rosato, the Board of Education's director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, said principals in the town's public schools were notified of the incident and asked to let parents know of the incident. "A letter has been sent out from our offices to the principals to make them aware of it, to be extra attentive," he said.

Lussier said anyone who sees a van and driver matching the description reported by the girl should contact police. "Get the license plate on the van first and/or find out what the black lettering on the side of the van is. That would be a good descriptor," she said.

Lussier said a similar incident took place about 7:40 p.m. on Feb. 23 on Black Rock Turnpike near the Merritt Parkway. In that incident, a white or Hispanic man pulled up to a female motorist at a traffic light, turned on the interior light in a van and exposed himself after lifting himself up from his seat. That man was last seen driving south on Black Rock Turnpike, according to Lussier.

"This is the same description of the van and suspect," she said in an e-mail sent Monday afternoon.