PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Authorities are searching for an unknown man who exposed himself to a woman along the Springwater Corridor on Wednesday morning, according to Portland police.
Officers responded to the area of SE Johnson Creek Boulevard and Brookside Drive, where the woman told officers she had been jogging when a “man on a bicycle passed her and jumped into the bushes further up the trail.”
“According to the woman, as she approached the area, the man emerged from the bushes naked and with his hand on his genitals and he tried grabbing her,” PPB said. “The woman managed to get away from the man and run for help.”
Police said the man was no longer in the area by the time officers arrived around 10:30 a.m.
PPB described the suspect as “a Caucasian male in his 30s, about 5’8”, with a shaved head. He was wearing all black clothing and riding a bicycle with two backpacks.”
Portland police told KOIN 6 News that detectives are digging through reports to check for any other cases or links. They also said East Precinct officers are spreading the word to other patrol shifts and that they will boost patrols at the Springwater Corridor as they can.
KOIN 6 also spoke with neighbors and people who use the trail. Cyclist Tess Weir, a 20-year trail veteran, said it’s important to always stay sharp since she said the area has been in a decline lately.
Weir said she’s noticed more encampments and issues like broken glass and trash in recent years, forcing her to scale back her weekly routine.
“We really don’t go too far north on this path, we have one spot we normally go to,” Weir said.
Weir’s friend, Cecilia Becerra added that they usually like to ride in pairs.
“You know, it’s really hard to judge where, what that sound is, is it a bike, is it a person running up behind you, so just be alert,” Becerra said. “You can only hope that those things happen less but there needs to be more patrol, there needs to be more people watching.”
Angela Rodriguez usually skips the trail but her dog needed a walk. Now she wants police to get the sexual assault suspect “off the streets.”
“Sometimes when it’s real secluded and I know there’s a possibility of people living in there, I get scared,” Rodriguez said.
Anyone with information about this man is encouraged to contact Portland police.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.
