CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A woman who was out for a morning jog tried to take down the man who exposed himself to her in Cambridge.
State troopers are now searching for the man, who was captured on surveillance video running along Memorial Drive Thursday around 7:30 a.m. Police say he flashed the woman as she passed him.
The video shows the woman jogging, and then running after that suspect.
"I’m 6 foot 1 inches (tall), pretty fit, not a very good victim to go after," said Aia, whose name is not being used for her protection.
The man indecently exposed himself to her, and she is seen in the video turning and running after him to confront him, according to Massachusetts State Police. Police say she tried to physically detain him until she could call the police, but he ran off down Amesbury Street.
Aia explained to Boston 25 News why she was so quick to fight back.
This 35-year-old single mother of two not only refused to be a victim after she says a man exposed himself twice but also turned the tables on him right then and there.
"He was like, 'It was unintentional' and he was running away, I told him, 'I’m going to get you. You don’t lose your pants twice trying to get a girl running,'" she said.
Aia said he picked the wrong woman last Thursday morning on Memorial Drive in Cambridge.
This personal trainer, who rides a motorcycle, once served in the military during her younger years in Israel.
But she says it wasn’t her previous training that compelled her to restrain the man and fight back, but rather human instinct.
"With how I grew up, with just don’t walk by, we don’t just ignore it," she said. “I’m a mom. I have two little kids, a son and a daughter. I show (by) example and I want to show them the example of the person I want them to grow up to be."
She held the man down for several minutes, screaming for someone to call 911.
She says what the video doesn’t show is at least four people passing by without helping.
"One more time, life showed me I can only rely only on myself," Aia said.
According to state police, the man is white with a heavy build and short, dark-colored hair -- with a receding hairline. Police say he was last seen wearing black and grey running clothes and black running shoes with white soles.
If you have any information or can identify the man, you are asked to contact Mass. State Police in Boston at 617-727-6780.
State Police Seek Help in Locating FlasherState Police Seek Public’s Help in Locating Memorial Drive Flasher Last Thursday, July 18, 2019 at about 7:30 a.m., a woman reported that while she was jogging on Memorial Drive near Vassar Street in Cambridge, a man indecently exposed himself to her. The woman pursued the man and attempted to physically detain him while calling for those nearby to contact police. The man resisted the woman’s attempt to detain him and fled the area, last seen running down Amesbury Street. The suspect is described as a white male with a heavy build, short dark colored hair, a receding hair line, wearing black and grey running clothes and black running shoes with white soles. The suspect was recorded by nearby cameras and that video can be seen below. The first segment of the video shows the period of time immediately following the indecent exposure, beginning as the suspect passes the woman, while the second segment shows a closer view of the suspect jogging. (Please note that to protect the integrity of the investigation, the segment of video that was released does not show the actual act of indecent exposure; the MSP has reviewed the entire video). If you have any information relative to the identity of the suspect, please contact Trooper Martin Concannon at the State Police Barracks in Boston, 617-727-6780. Special thanks to MIT Police for their assistance in this investigation.
Posted by Massachusetts State Police on Wednesday, July 24, 2019
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