Crime & Safety

Serial Flasher Aims to 'Shock and Surprise,' But Not Likely a Danger

Authorities, a counselor and shoppers weigh in on the pantyhose-wearing man who has visited nearly two dozen shops and salons around town.

The man who has become labeled across southeast Michigan and beyond as the "pantyhose flasher" is likely an exhibitionist set on shocking and surprising anyone in his path, a behavior expert said.

Although he is not considered dangerous, he should not be approached and you should call 911 if you see him, police say.

Friday, at the end of another week where the man was seen exposing himself — through sheer blue nylons — in various shops, authorities said they were putting all of their efforts into trying to identify him.

Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Typically, a person who does this is seeking attention," said Detective Ray White of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Who is he?

White works out of the Rochester Hills substation, which took the first report of the man exposing himself to employees of at the.

Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

That incident occurred in November, on the night of the popular and Santa arrival at the outdoor shopping center. Hundreds of people had gathered for the Friday night event. On that occasion, a man who said he was looking for "bobbles and trinkets" in the boutique opened the down coat he was wearing and exposed himself to store employees; he was wearing only tights underneath the coat, a sheriff's department report stated.

Since then, he was spotted another time at the Village boutique and various locations across Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties, including:

  • in Clinton Township on Monday;
  • a Justice girl's clothing store and another clothing shop in on Monday;
  • two locations in , once in December and again March 7; 
  • Salon Bliss in on March 13;
  • a salon in  in February;
  • a boutique in  in February
  • and other locations in Auburn Hills and Canton.

View a map of the locations the man has been spotted.

"With this particular guy, the good news is that he is going into businesses to be seen and not bothering anyone," White said. "A few years ago, we had an instance where a man was doing the same thing but exposing himself directly to young children."

Although this man has recently been seen in two Justice stores and at Forever 21, which are shops for young girls and teens, White said authorities have no information that he has interacted with or exposed himself to any children.

However, security footage from an incident earlier this week at a  shows him brushing against a woman.

What is his motive?

Ann O'Neill is an licensed professional counselor who practices at The Counseling Center for Women in Rochester.

O'Neill categorized the man as a paraphilia, meaning he gets intense sexual arrousal using nonsexual objects or in nonsexual situations. He is also an exhibitionist, meaning he has intense sexual desire to expose himself in public places.

"Usually these people want to shock whoever is watching, or surprise them, or turn the viewer on," said O'Neill, who writes the "Is This Normal?" .

O'Neill said his attire is indicative of a fetish: generally men choose women's lingerie, including pantyhose, or shoes.

Exhibitionists are almost always males, and may or may not be married. The prevailing thought, O'Neill said, is that the behavior starts during adolescence.

"Some are never diagnosed because they don't normally seek treatment," O'Neill said. "This causes a tremendous amount of anxiety for these people."

O'Neill suspects the reason the man's venues have changed — from boutique stores and salons to stores that cater to children — is because young girls are easy to shock and surprise, which is his main motive.

"I'm thinking he's enjoying it," O'Neill said. "The attention is exciting to him."

If you see him

The man has been described as in his 50s or 60s. Though there have been varying reports of his height, White said the best guess is that he's about 6 feet tall. He is about 200 pounds and is described as having a big belly and skinny legs. The man wears sheer blue pantyhose and a shirt or sweater. He usually wears a hat.

If you see a man fitting his description, you should call 911, said Dave Faber, Utica Police Chief. 

"He has not done anything to date to indicate that he is dangerous," said Faber, who is among the authorities collaborating on the case.

Though exhibitionism doesn't normally escalate to physical aggresion, O'Neill said those who exhibit these types of behavior normally have other personality disorders like schizophrenia.

White advised people not to approach or confront him.

Police believe he is driving a silver Jeep Cherokee. "If you are able to safely see his vehicle and can get a license plate number without putting yourself in jeopardy, you should do that as well as call for help," White said.

Finding him is a priority for agencies from Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties, White said.

Media coverage

The man has been the subject of widespread media attention since

An internet search Friday produced more than 100 news stories on the man, from across Michigan and even as far away as Pennsylvania and Arizona.

He has been called the "pantyhose bandit" and "pantyhose pervert," among other labels.

"The media coverage is essential to warn the public and assist in discovering who this person is so he ultimately be arrested and obtain the help he needs," said Richard Matott, chief of the Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety.

What shoppers say

The man has been seen mostly on weekday evenings; he chooses stores or salons where women will be working or shopping.

When asked on the Rochester Patch Facebook page on Friday afternoon whether he is keeping people from shopping, most respondents said "no."

"Not really," said Rob Ray of Rochester. "From the photos that have been posted, it would seem that this individual would stick-out to some degree. Not many men, except runners and the like, wear leggings and certainly not in warm weather like this."

"Not concerned," Vickie Fairbanks said. "I just hope enough people are on the lookout and call the police when he is spotted. Clearly he is disturbed and should not be confronted."

Beverly Blackwell-Smith said she would feel uncomfortable shopping at night or with her grandchildren. "I hope he is caught soon, he is a sick individual," she said.

At the Village of Rochester Hills, where the flasher first was spotted in November, the possibility of his return hasn't deterred shoppers.

"It hasn't affected us at all," said Shelleen McHale, the Village's marketing director. "If anything, it makes the shop owners and the shoppers all the more aware. No one has expressed any concerns to us, though."

Police are asking that people look out for this man and the vehicle he is driving.  Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-SPEAKUP.

– Shelby-Utica Patch editor Marina Cracchiolo and Bloomfield Patch editor Art Aisner contributed to this report.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Rochester-Rochester Hills