Deputies: Man In Red Car Approached Teens In Golden Gate

Detectives are investigating two separate incidents in which teenage girls say they were approached by a man in a red car in Golden Gate on Tuesday.

The suspect exposed his genitals in one of the incidents.

A 13-year-old girl told deputies she was walking north on Tropicana Boulevard near 32^nd Avenue Southwest around 8:30 a.m. when a man she did not know pulled up beside her and offered her a ride. The girl shook her head “no” and kept walking.

The man drove off and then circled back around and pulled up next to her.  The man motioned for her to get into the passenger seat and verbally offered her a ride. The girl kept walking and the man drove off.

Deputies said the man was described as Hispanic, in his 30s and clean shaven. The man spoke to the girl in Spanish and had an accent. He was driving an older model red passenger car.

An 18-year-old woman told deputies she was walking along 23^rd Avenue Southwest near 49^th Terrace Southwest around 1:30 p.m. when a man driving an older model red passenger car drove up next to her and stated they should have sex.

The woman continued walking. The man turned around and drove by slowly and asked the woman in Spanish to get in the car so they could have sex.

The woman looked into the car and saw that the man was fondling his genitals.

The man begged her again to come into his vehicle and she kept walking.

Deputies said the man was described as Hispanic and in his 30s. He was wearing a gray striped shirt and eyeglasses.

Detectives are also working to determine whether the two incidents are related to an incident in July in Golden Gate in which a man in a red car exposed himself to a woman.

The 35-year-old woman told deputies that she was in the alley behind her residence on Tropicana Boulevard around 4:50 p.m. on July 8 when she noticed an older model red passenger car.

The car slowed down and she noticed the driver was staring at her. She looked inside the car and noticed the man was fondling his genitals.

The woman was scared and went back inside her residence. She saw the car circling her residence.

The woman told deputies the man was Hispanic.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239.252-9300, or if you want to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477).