A man who allegedly posed as a rideshare driver and allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in Vaughan last week may also be responsible for a similar incident that took place less than an hour later in Brampton, police say.
York Regional Police have previously said that a woman was waiting for a bus near Bramalea and Countryside roads in Brampton at around 7 a.m. on Nov. 8 when a suspect approached her in a black sedan, claiming to be a rideshare driver
It is alleged that the woman got in the vehicle and was subsequently driven to the Highway 27 and Nashville Road area of Vaughan, where police say that she was sexually assaulted by the driver.
The woman eventually escaped the area after two bystanders intervened, police say.
The suspect, in turn, fled the scene and remains outstanding.
In a news release issued on Wednesday, Peel police said that its investigators now believe that the same suspect operating the same vehicle may also be “linked” to a similar incident that happened that same day in Brampton.
In that incident, a 18-year-old woman was waiting at a bus stop at Goreridge Crescent and Via Romano Way in Brampton just before 8 a.m. when an unknop0wn suspect approached her in a vehicle, claiming to be a rideshare driver.
Police say that the suspect offered the woman a ride in exchange for a cash payment and she took him up on the offer.
He then drove the woman to an area near the Clareville Conservation Area in the vicinity of Highway 50 and The Gore Road, where it is alleged he sexually assaulted her.
“Investigators have determined that a separate incident occurring in York Region (Vaughan) may be linked to the same suspect, operating the same motor vehicle,” the news release notes. “Police are reminding the ridesharing public to always verify the vehicle, licence plate, and driver. Investigators are seeking anyone with dashcam footage from the areas noted above during the associated times to come forward. “
Police say that the suspect in the second Brampton incident is described as South Asian with a medium complexion, black faded hair that was short on top, a well-kept full black beard, a medium to muscular build and an average height. He is believed to be approximately 20 to 25 years old and was last seen wearing a blue or black winter jacket and black pants.
The suspect vehicle in the incident is described as a black four-door Hyundai Elantra.