A man has been arrested and charged in connection with a brazen sexual assault of a woman while she was mowing her lawn in Aurora on Saturday.
York Regional Police said a man ran up to the victim from behind and pulled down his shorts. He then grabbed her and pushed her towards him, investigators said.
The incident was captured on surveillance camera video released by police on Thursday in hopes of identifying the suspect.
The footage also shows the woman, 47, appearing to confront the young man, who then walks away from the area.
Investigators said it happened at around 3 p.m. on Saturday on Stone Road in Aurora, near Bayview Avenue and Wellington Road.
York police Const. Laura Nicolle said the suspect and the victim are not known to each other and they didn’t have an interaction prior to the attack.
“It’s certainly a shocking type of an incident,” she said. “This a woman who is mowing her lawn … engaging in behaviour I think we all do on a Saturday afternoon, and it seems very unexpected.
On Thursday at around 6:45 p.m., police said the man was charged with one count of sexual assault. He is scheduled to appear in a Newmarket court on Friday.
Police said due to circumstances associated with the accused, they will not be identifying him.
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Investigators said they would like to thank the community for helping to apprehend the suspect.
“In a short time span, investigators received several phone call tips, emails, social media messages and Crime Stoppers tips which quickly led to officers successfully identifying the suspect,” a release said on Friday.
“We are grateful for the strong partnership York Regional Police enjoys with our community,” Chief Eric Jolliffe said.
“This fast response assisted us in bringing this investigation to a successful conclusion and shows that our citizens are equally committed to a safe and secure community.”
–With files from Kerri Breen and Katherine Ward