Sex assaults in 2 New Jersey parks may be linked
BRIDGEWATER, New Jersey (WABC) -- Police are investigating if the same man is responsible for two sex assaults in parks in two New Jersey towns, and they're hoping a pair of sketches will lead to an arrest.
The most recent incident happened between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on September 28, at Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park in South Brunswick.
Authorities say the female victim was walking on a path next to the canal when she was approached by an armed man.
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He then forced her to a secondary location on the Plainsboro-South Brunswick border, where she was sexually assaulted.
The assault has similarities to a sexual assault that occurred around 9 p.m. on July 18 in Duke Island Park in Bridgewater Township, Somerset County.
In that case, responding officers met with an adult female victim who reported being sexually assaulted by an unknown male while riding her bike in the park.
She told authorities that the man came up behind her when she stopped momentarily to use her cell phone, held a knife to her throat and asked for her money.
After handing over her cash, the victim reported that the man sexually assaulted her in the nearby bushes and then fled the area on a bicycle towards the direction of Raritan.
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The suspect in both incidents was described as a Hispanic male in his 30s or 40s, approximately 5-foot-5 and 150-175 pounds, with a medium to stocky build.
Police released the following sketches of the wanted suspect or suspects.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Plainsboro Township Police Department at 609-799-2333, the South Brunswick Police Department at 732-329-4646, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office at 732-745-3287, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Sex Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100, the Bridgewater Township Police Department at 908- 722-4111, or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers' Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477).
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