Morris County CrimeStoppers are asking for the public to help them identify the man who allegedly tried to grope a young girl and then pushed her mother to the ground.
According to CrimeStoppers, the man in question approached the 17-year-old girl on Martin Luther King Avenue in Morris Township and asked if he could walk her home. When she ignored him, he reportedly tried to touch her in an inappropriate manner. The girl’s mother stepped in front of her daughter in order to protect her, and the man allegedly grabbed the mother by her arms and shoved her to the ground. He then ran south toward Morristown.
The suspect is described as a black male, 5’9’’, in his late 20s or early 30s, with a slim build. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, and sneakers.
Police from Morris Township are also looking into a purse snatching incident in the same neighborhood. CrimeStoppers says that the description of the robber is similar to the description of the attacker in the other incident.
CrimeStoppers urges anyone with information to contact them at 973-COP-CALL. They are offering a $1,000 cash reward to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest or indictment of the person responsible for this attack.
If a suspect is apprehended and charged, he could be facing serious penalties. A conviction for simple assault carries with it multiple punishments. As detailed under N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(a), simple assault is regarded as a disorderly persons offense in New Jersey. As a result, it is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and a sentence of six months in the county jail.
For more information pertaining to this, access the following NJ.com article: “Crimestoppers: Man Tried to Grope Teen, Attacked Her Mother in Morris Township.”
