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Serial 'Peeping Tom' returns to Hillcrest neighborhood

Posted at 6:18 PM, Sep 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-21 21:22:01-04

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It appears a serial "Peeping Tom" lurking outside bedroom windows in the Hillcrest area has struck again, and his behavior may be escalating.

Just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, inside an upstairs apartment on 4th Avenue, Ricardo Alvarez glanced at his bedroom window.

"I was in bed, undressed and about to go to sleep. I looked out and that's when I saw the man out there pleasuring himself. I yelled, 'Whoa, what the hell!' He didn't stop and kept doing what he was doing," said Alvarez.

RELATED: Caught on camera: "Peeping Tom" revisits apartment

Alvarez says he froze while the stranger, described as a lean, shirtless African-American man in his mid-to-late 20s, carried on.

"I approached the window and screamed, 'What the hell are you doing?' That's when he ran off," said Alvarez.

Alvarez got dressed and ran out to give chase, but the man was gone.

In July, 10News reported on a man filmed peeping in bedroom windows in Hillcrest over several months.

RELATED: Neighbors: 'Peeping tom' spying on women, baby

"I believe that is the guy," said Alvarez, when we showed him the previous images.

The memory of that guy now keeps Alvarez awake. 

"I always see that silhouette every time I look out the window. I'm scared and angry. It's a sense of violation," said Alvarez.

Alvarez is also disturbed by the man's boldness. He likely hopped a fence to get to the balcony and now it appears his behavior is escalating beyond peeping.

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"I'm concerned about the fact he could harm somebody if he goes further," said Alvarez.

Recently, a neighbor on 3rd Ave. posted on the Nextdoor app details of a repeat "Peeping Tom" with a similar description.

If you have any information on the cases, call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.