INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — Investigators in Indian River County are working to identify and find a man believed to be connected to two attempted abductions of women over the last five days in the Pointe West neighborhood.
Sheriff Eric Flowers told WPTV that deputies went door-to-door in the neighborhood on Sunday in hopes of collecting any home surveillance video that shows the suspect.
Flowers said in the most recent incident, which happened around 12:15 a.m. Sunday, a masked man approached a woman from behind and tried to pull her away. The woman managed to scream and run back home to safety.
The sheriff's office does not have a good description of the suspect; however, the attempted abduction on Sunday was captured on a doorbell camera. Flowers said detectives are working to release some video evidence to the public.
"He is wearing a mask and so it’s not something where you are going to see a face," Flowers said. "Hopefully somebody will recognize the way the man walks or the way he is dressed."
Deputies said both incidents happened in the dark in the area of Pointe West.
The first incident happened around 10:30 p.m. last Tuesday, July 2. Flowers said a woman reported being approached with a knife but she, too, was able to run away and call 911.
WPTV reporter Zitlali Solache asked the sheriff why the public was not notified after the first attempted abduction.
Sheriff Flowers said the victim in the July 2 incident did not speak English and the initial investigation on the scene turned up no witnesses, video footage or other evidence of a crime.
“The initial information when our deputies responded out there was very vague," Flowers said.
Flowers said deputies will have an increased presence in Pointe West and he encourages residents to be vigilant, walk in groups and report any suspicious activity.
"We will have our team out there in marked and unmarked vehicles," Flowers said. "We've put the public on notice and so, of course, our bad guy is going to be on notice."
Witnesses or anyone with information about the suspect should call Det. Daugherty with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office at 772-978-6240.
NEIGHBORS REACT: Locals of Pointe West community remind others to stay vigilant amid recent abduction attempts
WPTV Reporter Brooke Chau spoke with residents of the Pointe West neighborhood about their feelings following the attempted abductions.
Carl, who did not want to share his last name, lives next door to the victim who was approached by the man Sunday night.
"We were able to see the young lady walking her dog home, and when she got to the front door (she told us) he grabbed her around the mouth and attempted to pull her away," he said. " I think the thing that saved her was the scream."
WATCH BELOW: Pointe West neighbor shares thoughts on recent attempts
Diane, who did not want to share her last name, has lived in the community since 2016 and found out about the attempts through a neighbor who showed her the sheriff's report. She is frustrated that the HOA has not made any point of contact with the residents and reminds other women to stay mindful of their surroundings.
"The thing is, these people are very oriented to walking their dogs, biking and everything else, so now it leaves a sense of instability and that you're not safe, and that's not a good feeling," she said.
WATCH BELOW: Resident speaks about HOA concerns
