Mounties look for possible serial flasher in North Vancouver

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Police are looking for a possible serial flasher after a man apparently exposed himself to a 13-year-old girl in North Vancouver last week.

The North Vancouver RCMP says a man in his 40s or 50s, driving a silver SUV, called the teen over to his vehicle asking for directions. When she came up to him, police say he apparently made a lewd comment and exposed his genitals to her.

It happened near the intersection of 27th Street East and St. Georges Avenue on May 15 at 3:40 p.m.

“She ran away and was not physically harmed, but we’re asking for the public to be on the lookout for a Caucasian male, 40 to 50 years old, with a slight accent of unknown origin,” Sgt. Peter DeVries said.

The man apparently exposed himself to a 13-year-old girl in North Vancouver at St. Georges and 27th, last week, while sitting in a silver SUV. He is described as caucasian, 40-50 y.o., and having an ‘unknown’ accent.

— Ash Kelly (@AshDKelly) May 23, 2019

Mounties say the incident is similar to other reports made on the North Shore over the past year.

“We’re aware of those, we’re investigating the possibility that those incidents are linked to this one, but at this point we don’t have enough information to conclusively say that they are linked so we’re treating them as separate,” DeVries added.

The man is described as:

• Caucasian man
• 40-50 years old
• Slight accent
• balding with brown hair
• black sunglasses
• double chin
• Wearing a blue and white zippered sweater

Talking to your kids about safety

He stresses the importance of having conversations with your kids about what to do to remain safe.

Tips from police include knowing your phone number, address, knowing how to get in touch with your parents either by cellphone or at their place of work, as well as knowing how and when to call 9-1-1.

“Parents, if it’s possible, if it’s feasible, give your child a cellphone when they’re away from home so that they have a way of contacting help if they need it.”

Tips to stay safe:
Know: your home address and landline phone number
How to contact your parents on cell phones or at work
How and when to call 9-1-1 from a landline and cell
Establish a secret word for your family to identify a ‘safe person’ other than their parent or caregiver

— Ash Kelly (@AshDKelly) May 23, 2019

DeVries recommends running through scenarios with children to help them figure out how to respond. Other tips include having children and teens play and walk to places with a buddy, avoiding long conversations with strangers, telling your kids it’s OK to say “no” to an adult when they ask them to do something for them, like look for a lost pet, and to never accept rides, money or gifts from strangers.

You can read safety tips from the RCMP here.

-With files from Jonathan Szekeres