FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Fairfax County Police are asking potential victims to come forward after police arrested a man related to a series of assaults and indecent exposures along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail.
The first incident was reported on July 15, according to Fairfax County Police Department. Police say evidence was collected to link him to additional incidents that occurred on July 20 in the 2000 block of Monaghan Drive.
A joint effort between Fairfax County police and Herndon Police led to identifying and capturing the suspect who had been assaulting and exposing himself to members of the community.
Juan Rodriguez-Alfaro, 42, of Herndon, Virginia, was arrested and charged by detectives from the Fugitive Track and Apprehension Unit Thursday evening, Fairfax County said in a statement. He was located at a business in the 1000 block of Elden Street.
Detectives obtained additional charges stemming from the incidents since his arrest, which includes indecent exposure, peeping unlawful entry and two counts of obscene sexual display.
On Sept. 11, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard said Rodriguez-Alfaro was connected to eight similar assaults in the town of Herndon.
"That subject exposed himself and was engaging in obscene sexual behaviors and grabbed the victim's genitals before fleeing the area," Chief DeBoard said.
Fairfax County Police Lieutenant Ryan Lazisky said in a press conference that in addition to the eight cases in the town of Herndon, Rodriguez-Alfaro is facing another 13 indecent exposure cases in Fairfax County.
Rodriguez-Alfaro also has an outstanding warrant of attempted rape and sexual assault for an incident that occurred in Suffolk County, New York, Lazisky said. According to a spokesperson from the U.S. Marshals Service, Rodriguez is accused of attacking a jogger in Suffolk back in October 2021. The jogger, who is married to a member of law enforcement, was able to fight him off and escape. He ran away wearing only a tank top, officials said, he was also wanted on an attempted rape charge.
The most recent incidents took place on Aug. 3, 14 and 18. On Aug. 14, Rodriguez-Alfaro approached a victim on the trail naked from the waist down, masturbated and ran away, officials said. On Aug. 26, two women said they were attacked hours apart. Just a few days later, on the evening of Aug. 30, a teenage girl who was walking near the trail was grabbed by a suspect.
"On Sept. 7, a day later, U.S. Marshalls again contacted Herndon detectives and advised them that the subject they were looking for who was wanted, may possibly be the suspect in the sexual battery and indecent exposures in Herndon and Fairfax County," Chief DeBoard said.
Herndon resident Julia Easton said a woman that used to live in her home had reportedly seen this kind of indecent behavior before. She told WUSA9 that she feels a little safer following the arrest of the 42-year-old.
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"She saw a man with no pants on the W&OD, so I think he has been here longer than we know," Easton said. "It's a sigh of relief, especially for me and both of my roommates, because we both frequent the trail because we live on it. As single females, it makes us feel safer."
He was taken to an adult detention center and is being held without bail. Detectives continue to review evidence to confirm Rodriguez-Alfaro's involvement in other cases.
Anyone with information that could lead to additional charges is encouraged to contact police at 703-246-7800. Anonymous tips can be sent through the department's crime solver tip line at 866-411-TIPS.