A man committing an indecent act jumped up from the bushes and startled a woman on Cable Bay Trail in Nanaimo yesterday.

Nanaimo RCMP issued a warning about the indecent exposure incident that happened Tuesday, Oct. 15, at about 1 p.m. on the trail. According to an RCMP press release, police responded and spoke with a 49-year-old woman who appeared shaken by the ordeal, which had happened while she was walking toward Dodd Narrows. 

"She saw an adult man crouched down in some nearby bushes with his pants down. He quickly stood up and at that time she noticed that he was committing an indecent act," the release noted.

The woman backed away and walked as fast as she could back to her car and called the police. Officers conducted patrols but were unable to locate the suspect, who was described as a heavy-set Hispanic man in his 40s, clean-shaven with long dark hair tied back in a ponytail. At the time of the incident, he was dressed in a long-sleeved plaid button-up shirt and jeans. The report also noted the suspect had an approximately one-and-a-half-inch red scar, or possibly a birth mark, on the front of his right thigh.

鈥淭here are dozens of excellent trails scattered throughout Nanaimo and surrounding areas used by hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts on a weekly basis that are very safe to use," said reserve Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, in the news release. "However, from time to time these sorts of incidents may occur.鈥�

Nanaimo RCMP suggest that if this type of incident happens, the victim should not engage with the individual and should instead walk away. If confronted, they should make as much noise as possible. Other trail users should be warned and police should be notified as soon as possible. 

Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345 and reference file No. 2024-3387.