Search continues for attacker who seriously injured woman

Beacon Police Chief Tom Figlia on Jan. 30 released a statement updating the community on the investigation of an attack two weeks earlier near the intersection of Wolcott and Tioronda avenues.

It is unusual for police to comment publicly on investigations, but the chief said he had been responding to residents' questions individually and decided to issue a statement because of the volume of inquiries.

A day after the Jan. 14 assault, Figlia said the suspect was a white male wearing a black jacket or coat (not a puffy coat), a black knit hat and blue pants or jeans. He was described as possibly being in his 30s or 40s, approximately 5-foot-11 with a medium build and a "very close" brown beard.

Figlia's 800-word statement said he did not see requests for information about the assault "as unreasonable in any way." He said the department "has been working nonstop to investigate and solve this case. We have spent untold hours poring over evidence because the absolute best thing we can do for this community is to solve it."

He said that while investigations in novels and TV shows are solved quickly, in reality, "oftentimes it takes weeks, months or even sometimes years to go through mountains of potential evidence or to get forensic testing back." He cited the conviction last year of a Philadelphia man in a May 2022 murder in Beacon.

"As a lifelong Beacon resident and parent of a young woman myself, I understand how upsetting this incident has been to everyone in our community," Figlia wrote. "While I wish that I could share more, I always have to be extremely careful not to contaminate investigations or release information that could be harmful to victims." He described the investigation as "complex" and asked for patience.

After the morning attack, the victim was found unconscious, and first responders determined she had been seriously assaulted. Sargent Elementary School, which is nearby, was placed on a lockout until police said they were confident the attacker had left the area. The victim's name has not been released, but police said at the time that she was in stable condition.

Police asked residents citywide to check doorbell or security cameras for footage that captured anyone fitting that description. The department has increased patrols since the attack, and Figlia asked residents to be vigilant.

In public, it is usually best "to reduce personal distractions and limitations to peripheral vision as much as possible," he wrote. "At home, we always encourage you to double-check that every one of your doors and windows is locked if you want them locked. We find this to be a very common oversight.

"Trust your instincts," Figlia wrote. "If something or someplace does not feel right or safe, it is OK to believe yourself." He advised residents to report any suspicious or dangerous activity or individuals.

The assault came up during the City Council's Monday (Feb. 2) meeting when Beacon resident Jessica Eriksmoen, who lives near the site of the attack, addressed city leaders' response and what the community "still needs from its elected officials."

Calling the attack a "sexual assault," although police have not used that language, Eriksmoen cited a 2024 Tulane University survey of 3,300 adults in which 82 percent of the female respondents said they had experienced harassment (e.g., catcalls, stalking, unwanted touching) or assault in their lifetimes. Thirty-two percent of the women said they had experienced sexual harassment or assault in the past year.

The Police Department's statement on the day of the attack was "vague and confusing," Eriksmoen said, and by the time it was released, "residents had already heard detailed, credible reports of the brutal assault."

Nineteen days later, there have been no public statements from Mayor Lee Kyriacou or council members and "that silence has had real consequences," she said, including for her teenage daughter, who does not fee...