Woman Accosted by Man on Prairie Path

A woman walking on the Illinois Prairie Path during a noon hour last week escaped without harm after a man on an “old/beater” bicycle accosted her and then fondled himself when she backed away.

The incident was reported at 12:46 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013 in the area around the Illinois Prairie Path and Arbor Street, police said.

A woman told police that she was walking north along the path to the rear of the 1200 block of Midwest Lane, she was approached by a man riding southbound on an “old/beater” 10-speed bicycle with a wire basket mounted to the front handlebar.

She told police that the man then dismounted and approached her, reaching out to her, but she backed away, fearing he was going to hurt her. The woman avoided his grasp, but she told police the man then began to fondle himself through the exterior of his shorts. The woman fled north.

The man is described as 40 to 50 years old, with brown and gray hair and a brown beard. He was wearing a gray zippered jacket and gray shorts.