Fake Birder Harasses Women In Prospect Park, Officials Warn

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — Prospect Park officials are warning parkgoers about a man who has been pretending to birdwatch to harass or sexually assault women throughout the park grounds.

At least 10 women have come forward about questionable interactions with the man after a story first shared on a neighborhood Facebook group was posted on Twitter Friday morning, according to the posts.

Some women have said the man has been harassing women in the park for years, using a ruse of flagging women down to check out a bird through his binoculars before inappropriately touching them.

"When he stood behind me with his arms around my neck to adjust the binoculars...I felt his erection rubbing my backside," the anonymous poster wrote on Facebook.

The man — who women describe as short with a long brown ponytail — seems to be, or act, deaf or mute, at times using sign language to talk to the women or motioning to the "bird" instead of speaking, according to the stories.

He has been spotted across the park grounds, including near the Boathouse, the Peninsula, the rose garden, Lookout Hill and the paths near Center Drive, women say.

Many of the women said they were able to escape the interaction when they became uncomfortable or suspected the man was only pretending to see a bird.

"I tried to communicate with him for a bit...but then got a strange feeling when he showed me a stock photo of a Blue Jay on his phone," Regina Gennari, who encountered the man a few months ago on the Peninsula, told Patch.

"It didn't make sense that this birder, with huge binoculars, would be that excited over a Blue Jay. I backed away from him and left."

Gennari said it was only when she saw a post in her neighborhood Facebook group and shared her experience on Twitter that she realized what happened to her was part of a pattern.

"I feel fortunate that he did not touch me but at the same time, am alarmed that this guy has been around for *years* (from what I'm hearing) doing the same routine to harass women," she told Patch in an email.

At least one woman said the man tried to follow her on a bike as she, pregnant at the time, tried to fast walk away.

The Prospect Park Alliance and the woman who posted anonymously on Facebook both said they have notified the NYPD about the man's behavior.

But when asked about the incidents, the NYPD told Patch "There is no complaint report(s) on file based on your inquiry."

"The NYPD takes sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously, and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a police report so we can perform a comprehensive investigation, and offer support and services to survivors," they said.

The Parks Department said they are having their patrol officers work "closely with the NYPD to protect parkgoers in this area." There were no complaints matching the allegations in their records.

"We are shocked and concerned about these allegations," a spokesperson said. "We encourage anyone who has had an encounter with this individual to contact their local police precinct and file a report."

The Prospect Park Alliance said they first heard of the incidents this week and did not find any similar complaints in their records from the last year, though they noted such complaints would likely have been made to police or 311, not their organization.

In the meantime, women are sharing the stories online in the hopes that spreading the word will help parkgoers avoid the man.

He is described as standing around 5 feet tall, has long brown hair in a low ponytail, at times wears a surgical mask and was most recently spotted in a "baggy collared shirt and baggy shorts and high tops," according to the Facebook post.

"...I am interested in him stopping and all park visitors being aware of his presence so that he will not get a chance to harass again," Gennari said.