Has the elusive Princeton, NJ 'butt groper' returned?

PRINCETON — An attempt to grab the buttocks of a teenage girl Thursday afternoon could indicate the return of a serial groper who's kept out of the police's reach.

There have been at least 14 incidents in which a man grabbed the buttocks of women in Princeton going back to 2014 without any arrests. The last incident before Thursday was in November.

In the most recent incident, a 17-year-old girl was approached from behind and grabbed in the left leg as she got into her vehicle at the Franklin Avenue parking lot near Princeton High School around 9:20 a.m., according to Princeton police, who believe he was trying for her buttocks. The man ran across the street towards the Princeton Cemetery.

Sketch of Princeton groping suspect issued in August 2017 (Princeton Police)

Similar description to earlier groupings

The man from Thursday is described as a Hispanic man possibly in his mid-30s, 5 feet 5 inches with a medium build. The man was wearing a white baseball cap, gray short-sleeve shirt and a blue surgical mask.

Although the description is similar to suspects in the earlier incidents, Princeton police said they did not know if there was a connection to previous incidents.

Police asked anyone with witnessed the incident or additional information to call 609-921-2100 X1832.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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The bass are biting in New Jersey fresh waters

Starting in mid to late May the largemouth bass started biting on my favorite lake. I finally got a chance to get out and see how good the fishing is this year and it didn't take long to catch. I got two bass in the first 10 minutes on the lake. We used to fish exclusively with live bait, either worms, nightcrawlers (the bigger worms), or minnows. That got too easy and it's not what "real" fishermen do.

It's more of a sport if you fool the fish into biting your hook with the right lure and the proper presentation. You have to figure out what they would be feeding on that time of year, pick a lure that resembles that and finesse it in a way that makes it look enticing to the fish. To most people, this is a stupid waste of time, but to those of us who caught the fishing bug as a kid or an adult, it's almost addictive. OK, it is addictive.

Most people look at a body of water such as a pond, lake, river, or stream and admire it for its natural beauty. Fishermen try to figure out what kind of fish are below the surface and what would be the best spot to catch them. If you have small kids and you know how to fish, you can create amazing memories and give a great lesson on nature. My dad and my uncles did that for me and those of some of the best memories of my childhood.

There are so many different kinds of fish and fishing in New Jersey's fresh waters. We usually think of fishing at the Jersey Shore, but there are plenty of fishing opportunities not far from where you live. Make sure you know a few simple rules and ask a local tackle shop for some good advice on what to buy and where to go, and you're good to go. It's a great way to enjoy the diversity of landscapes we have here and challenge yourself a little.

I challenged myself for the first time this season to try and catch a few bass on Thursday afternoon right before the rain and thunderstorms and had success right away in one of my favorite fishing holes in Medford.