Arlington County police are on the lookout for a man who's peeping at women in public restrooms

Continue reading

The latest incident happened at Ballston Mall and has striking similarities to two other cases this year.

"It's definitely a little unnerving, because I'm always out with my girlfriends in this area," said Cristin Kane of Ballston. "...you don't think that you have to look out for things like that."

The manager at Union Jack's restaurant, located inside Ballston Common Mall, said a teenage girl visiting from Ireland came running out of the bathroom crying Monday night.

As he consoled her, he heard what happened and later called police.

Dustin Sternbeck with Arlington County Police explained, "She noticed a shadow underneath the stall and looked up to see our suspect in this case peering at her while she used the restroom...The victim in this case went out and told the two individuals she was with. They wanted to confront the suspect. That's when he fled the scene, saying he was confused which bathroom he was in."

But authorities aren't so sure he made a mistake.

The suspect matches the description of a man behind lewd acts earlier this summer.

On May 30, a man allegedly exposed himself to a woman sitting at a restaurant patio on Wilson Boulevard. A week and a half earlier on May 19, there was another incident of indecent exposure outside a nearby restaurant.

Elizabeth Wall lives about a mile away from where a couple of the crimes have happened.

"Maybe I don't worry as much for myself, but I'm a mom with four kids," Walls said.

Police say their biggest battle in catching the suspect is victims not reporting the crimes fast enough. The sooner you call 911, the more likely the suspect will be caught.

The manager at Union Jack's told News Channel 8 he informed other restaurants of what happened. Now, he and others are keeping an eye out for anything unusual.

However, police stress there's no need to panic or feel unsafe.