Teen reports being touched by suspicious man in Carmel - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Carmel police have increased patrols in an area where a suspicious man inappropriately touched a teenage girl.

Police say the man stopped a 15-year-old girl as she rode her bike across a bridge in the 4200 block of East 126th Street, which is between Keystone Parkway and Gray Road, Tuesday afternoon. He spoke to the girl and touched her chest.

"I can see it happening cause it's, like, totally blocked out and you can't really see anything happening," said Emma Beach, who was walking on the trail Wednesday.

Just feet away though, cars were a steady stream, passing by the mostly covered area. Regulars on the path said it gave them a sense of security.

"On the sidewalks in broad daylight with cars going by, yeah, pretty safe," said John Evelo of how he feels using the path.

"It's a clean neighborhood. It's a safe neighborhood from what a lot of people think. You know that's the way people perceive it, but I guess with things like this, that can change what people think about the area," added Davis Thompson.

Regulars on the path said they'd never heard of something similar happening in the area. With recent incidents involving teens in nearby Fishers being approached by strangers, though, people in this area said they'll be more alert.

"I try to ride with somebody all the time," said one woman on her bike.

Others said the same thing. They didn't plan to be on the path alone.

The girl says the suspect was a white male between 35-50 years old, wearing a blue baseball hat, a blue Under Armour shirt and athletic-style shorts. He stood about 5'9" tall, with a muscular build.

Even with reports that the incident happened in broad daylight, traffic along the path where the alleged incident happened was still steady a day later.

"I would not hesitate to go down this path. I would say it's pretty safe," said Andrew Schindler, who rides his bike there almost every day.

"I'm not that worried about it, because I see people all the time, so I feel like if something were to happen, someone would come by eventually," said Beach.

Anyone with information is asked to call Carmel Police or Crime Stoppers at 262-TIPS.