Police say they have arrested the suspect in at least two sex attacks on women in barely more than 24 hours in one New Jersey community.
On Tuesday, Rutherford Police issued a press release announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Dennis Kwiecinski of the nearby town of Lyndhurst.
Initially, in a Facebook post Monday afternoon, Rutherford police said the same suspect was thought to be behind Thursday and Friday attacks last week on women in their late 20s to mid-30s.
In the most recent case, a 34-year-old woman was walking north on Montross Avenue, pushing her child in a stroller, when she noticed a man sitting alone in a black pickup truck, authorities say. She strolled by him, paying him no mind.
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About a half a block later, the woman heard footsteps behind her. It was the man from the pickup truck, who asked her, "Are you single and if she was into ..." before the woman cut him off, police said. She kept walking; the man then reached between her legs from behind and squeezed her groin area, police said.
The suspect then fled, running south on Montross Avenue toward Donaldson Avenue.
The same man is suspected to be behind the butt grab of a 28-year-old jogger about 24 hours earlier on Carmita Avenue in the area of Donaldson and Woodward avenues, Rutherford police said. In that case, cops say the suspect was driving a vehicle -- it wasn't clear if it was the same pickup truck -- in the same direction the woman was jogging. He allegedly pulled up alongside her, leaned out the window and slapped her buttocks, authorities said.
No physical injuries were reported in either case and anyone with information about the man or the vehicle allegedly involved in the incidents was asked to call the Rutherford Police Department at (201) 939-6000 Ext. 1.
According to Rutherford Police Chief John Russo, as the investigation continued, officials were able to compile significant surveillance footage from the incidents and following the incidents as well as witness statements. Investigators determined that the vehicle involved was an early model Nissan Frontier without license plates. Police say that thanks to community input Kwiecinski was identified, located and arrested at his Lyndhurst residence.
Kwiecinski was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree.
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Kwiecinski was taken to Bergen County Jail where he will appear in court Wednesday.
Attorney information for Kwiecinski was not immediately known.
