Man Accused Of Exposing Himself To Woman In Long Island Park

OYSTER BAY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A 57-year-old Amityville man is accused of exposing himself to women in a Long Island park.

One woman, named Maria, was rollerblading on a quiet path when a half-naked man jumped out at her from a wooded area, CBS2's Raegan Medgie reported.

The path is tucked away inside Massapequa Preserve, and it was once a place of solitude for Maria.

"It's been tainted. It's been stolen from me," she said.

The man, identified as Andrew Parrucci, was only wearing a hoodie. He was naked from the waste down.

"I'm completely startled, and shocked, and not quite sure what's going on. I process and realize he's not being harmed, he's here to do something to me," she said. "He starts to eye me up and down, and look me around, and maintain this creepy aggressive eye contact with me."

When seemed like an eternity only lasted for about a minute. Then, Maria said Parrucci's demeanor changed.

"He got spooked I guess, ran behind me, didn't pick up his clothes and ran back into the woods," she said.

Parrucci may have been scared off by another woman approaching on a bicycle.

"She stayed with me, we both slowed down our pace and called 911," Maria said.

Police arrested Parrucci at his home on Wood Road in Amityville.

CBS2 went to his home Saturday but no one answered the door.

His neighbors said they are shocked by the allegations.

"Very, very surprised," Amityville resident Gary Franklin said. "I don't know him personally, we see him pass by."

Maria, a mother of two young children, now carries pepper spray.

"We have to protect ourselves, we have to be more aware of our surroundings," she said.

Parrucci was charged with public lewdness.