Fairfax Co. indecent exposures suspect also accused of attacking jogger in New York: police
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Investigators say a Herndon man accused of multiple indecent exposure incidents on a local trail also attempted to rape a female jogger last year in Suffolk County, New York.
Police said in the New York case, Juan Alfaro Rodriguez, 42, was naked from the waist down when he attacked the woman, just like in some incidents in Fairfax County.
Members of the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force arrested Alfaro Rodriguez Thursday on the warrant out of New York, according to investigators.
Suffolk County Police Det. Tom Corso, who’s assigned to the marshal’s task force, said Alfaro Rodriguez is facing charges of attempted rape and sex abuse from the Oct. 2021 case.
Corso told FOX 5’s Lindsay Watts that in that case, Alfaro Rodriguez approached the victim from behind wearing just a tank top, but the woman was able to fight him off. The woman is the wife of a member of law enforcement, according to investigators.
READ MORE: Fairfax Co. Police look for suspect in string of assaults, exposures on W&OD Trail
Corso said it was believed Rodriguez was living in Suffolk County at the time, but fled the area, making stops in Boston and Maryland before settling in Herndon. He said an arrest warrant was obtained in December of 2021.
Corso said he was in Virginia on another case and having a conversation with a deputy marshal with knowledge of the recent Fairfax County cases when they made the connection it may be the same guy.
On Sunday, Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard gave a timeline of the investigation.
She said on Aug. 26, police got a report from a woman who had been jogging on the W&OD Trail near Ferndale Ave.
"That subject exposed himself and was engaging in obscene sexual behaviors and grabbed the victim’s genitals before fleeing the area," said Deboard.
She said police obtained video of the suspect from a backyard surveillance camera.
Juan Alfaro Rodriguez, 42, of Herndon, Virginia. (Credit: Fairfax County Police Department)
DeBoard said police got additional tips about the suspect being in the 200 block of Van Buren Street in early September with witnesses providing an identical description of him.
She said on Sept. 6, the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force requested assistance locating Alfaro Rodriguez in the New York case.
She said on Sept. 8, Herndon Police got a call from a victim who provided identical suspect information from an incident that occurred in August, but hadn’t been reported.
"This victim was also able to provide us with a close up video of the incident and the suspect recorded by her," DeBoard said.
Based on video and other evidence, police were able to make a positive identification of Alfaro Rodriguez, DeBoard said.
Police are also investigating an attempted abduction of a teen girl in Reston who was walking near the W&OD trail on Aug. 30.
DeBoard said there is still "significant investigative work to be done."
READ MORE: Herndon man arrested for indecent exposures near Fairfax County trail
"Over the last several months, the Herndon Police Department alone has had as many as eight possible related cases reported to our department," she said.
Overall, Alfaro Rodriguez is suspected in 21 different incident since July: 13 indecent exposure cases in Fairfax County and eight different situations in the town of Herndon.
Alfaro Rodriguez also has an outstanding warrant out of Suffolk County, New York.
Police said back in Oct. 2021, he attempted to rape a jogger by grabbing her from behind with no pants on.
Authorities were able to arrest Alfaro Rodriguez by following his girlfriend who they spotted walking in Herndon last Thursday.
She met up with Rodriguez on the way to a local supermarket and that's when he was put in handcuffs.
Fairfax County police said Alfaro Rodriguez is being held without bond, and investigators will hold a press conference Monday morning with additional details.