An email listserv for Arlington mothers is abuzz with multiple reports of a “creepy” man seen staring at children.
Emails sent to the MONA (Mothers of North Arlington) listserv describe an older man who has been spotted leering at young children while slowly driving by in a white sedan.
“I was walking with my two children in the Lyon Village area… when a man in an older, what I believe to be a late 90s, white sedan (Nissan Sentra I think) drove by very slowly at approximately 1-2 miles per hour,” said one email, sent last night. “As he drove by, the driver stared at us out of his open window. He was an older man (60s) with white hair and looking to be a bit overweight from what I could tell. He drove past us for a block and then did a U-turn and drove very slowly past us again staring at us in a very creepy way.”
At least three other sightings were reported recently.
“A 10 year-old boy and his 10 year-old friend were playing basketball in their driveway… when a man fitting the description of the man in the email drove down North Nottingham Street into Arlington and slowed way down and stared at us in a weird, creepy way,” said another email. “The man drove off. He was older, had whitish gray hair and a whitish gray beard. He was driving a white sedan.”
A third email describes a man fitting the description looking at children at a Falls Church park through binoculars. A fourth said the man was spotted on Key Boulevard in Lyon Village, driving a white car with a Florida license plate.
Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said police know who the man is, have spoken to him, and have notified other police departments about the situation. They have not, however, been able to link the man to any crime.
“Our detectives have reached out to neighboring jurisdictions to see if he has committed a crime in those areas,” Sternbeck said. He encouraged residents to immediately notify police of any suspicious activity.
“If someone’s acting suspicious, please contact police first,” Sternbeck said. ”It’s good that they share this [via email] and have awareness of a potential person of interest, but failing to notify police of a suspicious person is an action we want to see corrected. Never assume your neighbor is going to call.”
