Police search for suspect accused of sexually assaulting bus passenger in Vaughan

The man in the photo is wanted for sexual assault in Vaughan. (York Regional Police)

York Regional Police (YRP) are searching for a suspect accused of sexually assaulting a woman on board a bus in Vaughan last week.

Police said a man hopped on a bus in the area of Kipling Avenue and Highway 7 at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 30 and sat beside a woman.

“After a short time, the suspect attempted to engage in a conversation with the victim and touched her in sexual manner,” they said in a news release on Tuesday.

The suspect got off the bus at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, near Jane Street and Highway 7, at 4:55 p.m. and fled in an unknown direction, investigators said.

On Tuesday, YRP released photos of the suspect, who is described as a Black man about 20 years old with a heavy build, balding, and a salt and pepper goatee.

He was last seen carrying a grey bag and wearing a grey toque, a black winter waist-length coat with a fur collar, black pant, and black winter boots.

Police are asking anyone who knows the identity of the suspect and his whereabouts to contact them at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7071, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.