Since the summer, there has been an increased number of incidents of indecent exposure in surrounding campus areas.

UT students have taken to social media to express their frustration with the incidents, involving what several students describe as a young man in a silver sedan following women in West Campus and north campus neighborhoods, asking them questions and then proceeding to masturbate as they respond.

“While I’m talking, he rolls his window down all the way, and I see him literally stroking his penis with a smile on his face,” said Jasmine Oh, an aquatic sciences senior who was approached by the man last Friday as she was walking her dog on Tom Green Street between 33rd and 34th streets.   

“He didn’t even try to rush off. He slowly left, and while I tried to make out his license plate number, I could barely read it.”

This isn’t the first time a man fitting this description made obscene sexual advances by exposing himself to women near campus. A similar incident took place this past summer, and according to multiple comments on Oh’s Facebook post, other women had encountered a perpetrator matching this description at least four years ago. Oh said when she called campus police, they informed her of two additional incidents that took place the same day that fit the description she gave. 

“At the corner of 25th and Pearl, [the] guy asked me for directions to Whataburger and then asked me if I knew someone that lost a puppy that he had on his lap,” said design senior Jeanette Hay, who said this man targeted her a couple of years ago. “When I realized what was happening … I ran away because I was afraid of what he could’ve done next.”

UTPD emphasizes to students to remain aware of one’s surroundings, especially when encountering a bold perpetrator. Writing down the license plate number, along with providing a detailed description of the suspect and reporting the incident immediately all contribute to the possibility of the perpetrator being caught, UTPD Officer Samantha Carter said to the Daily Texan this summer.

“If this happens to you, get somewhere where you feel safe, immediately call 911, give a description of what you saw and a location,” Carter said in the interview. “Always be aware, stay off of your phone and always walk in pairs, whether it’s daytime or nighttime.”