Police search for man who allegedly attacked, tried to rape teenager on Folsom bike path

Folsom Police are searching for a man who allegedly attacked and tried to sexually assault a teenager on a popular bike trail Friday night.

A 15-year-old girl was walking home alone along Willow Creek Trail after playing volleyball with her friends at Livermore Park, said her mother, Rita McNamara. As the girl reached a wooden bridge near their apartment around 11 p.m., a man reportedly grabbed the girl and started fondling her breasts, police said.

The Bee has a policy of not naming sexual assault victims or minors involved in acts of violence.

He allegedly tried to pull down her shorts but couldn’t get them off, McNamara said. He reportedly fled the scene after being spooked by a noise.

The girl came home and told her mother about the attack, according to McNamara, who then called the police.

“I knew something was wrong when she got in the door,” she said.

The girl had been looking at her phone moments prior to the incident and didn’t see where the man came from or where he went, McNamara said. Police described the male suspect as white, in his 20s or 30s, wearing a dark sweatshirt, jeans and Timberland boots.

Because the man tried to remove the girl’s clothing, the situation is being investigated as sexual battery with a separate charge of attempted rape, according to Sgt. Andrew Bates, spokesman for the Folsom Police Department.

The girl gave her shorts to the police department to test for DNA, McNamara said. They’re waiting to hear back about the results.

Bates described the attack as an isolated incident.

“I can’t think of one in recent history that has occurred like this,” he said, adding that the bike trail is “pretty well used during the day. Less so at night because it’s not well lit.”

Bates offered some general safety tips for local residents: stick to locations where other people are present and stay in groups if possible.

The investigation is ongoing. Police are encouraging anyone with information about the incident to call the department’s anonymous tip line at 916-930-1098.

This story was originally published August 6, 2019 at 2:28 PM.