REVERE — Beachgoers on Wednesday were shocked to learn a teenage girl was sexually assaulted at a nearby bathhouse the previous night.
“I think it’s pretty sick and I feel violated, even though it wasn’t me who was personally assaulted,” said Shionneka Warren of Lynn. “I have kids. I send my younger son with my 10-year-old son to the bathroom because I also have a 10-month-old to watch. I won’t be doing that anymore.”
There was a heightened State Police presence at the beach on Wednesday, where detectives are investigating the attack that reportedly occurred at about 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Shirley Avenue bathhouse, and searching for the suspect, who has not yet been identified.
The victim told police a young man approached her while she was using an outdoor shower at the bathhouse. The man tried to initiate a conversation.
When the adolescent girl tried to get away from the assailant, he grabbed her, prevented her from leaving, and sexually assaulted her, police said.
Once the girl got away from him, an adult family member brought her to the State Police Barracks on Revere Beach to report the incident. The victim was interviewed and transported to a Boston hospital for examination.
Police described the suspect as a light-skinned Hispanic male, approximately six feet tall, with a slender build and hair braided tightly against his scalp. Prior to the attack, he may have been wearing a dark-colored tank top and black shorts and riding a mountain bike on and near Revere Beach.
The suspect may have followed a second young woman on his bike earlier in the day on the beach, and he may have caught up to and tried to speak to the woman, police said. They also believe several people were near the bathhouse at the time of the attack.
“For me, it’s surprising,” said Yessica Orteda, who is visiting from Venezuela. “It’s not good for the Revere Beach community.”
Roberta Sillari of Medford said she visits the beach regularly to have time to herself. She was shocked to hear about the assault, but said she wasn’t afraid.
“I’m martial arts – if they ever tried to mess with me, I’d rip their face off,” she said. “I feel bad for the poor girl and I think everybody should take a self defense class.”
State police didn’t immediately have statistics available on how frequent sexual assault and other violent crimes are reported at Revere Beach, but spokesperson David Procopio said they are “generally uncommon.”
Anyone who may have seen any part of the incident or has knowledge of the suspect, or who may have seen someone matching the description at or near the beach contact State Police investigators at 781-284-0038.
