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November 5, 2011 / Brooklyn news / Park Slope / Meadows of Shame

Hero ranger nabs park masturbator

By Natalie O’Neill
The Brooklyn Paper

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A fearless ranger busted a masturbating pothead a few yards from a packed Prospect Park playground on Thursday — and then discovered an even-more–shocking naked truth: the man was packing additional heat in the form of a gun, according to cops.

Police officers arrested Glen Perouza, a 53-year-old from Queens, after parents said they spotted the self-gratifier near the Third Street Playground at 3:30 pm.

Water Street Restaurant

Park-goers reported the alleged pervert to ranger Andrew Marsala — who abandoned a guided tour he was leading for a group of kids to confront the alleged creep.

The brave woodsman apparently spooked Perouza, causing him to bolt — but the ranger then chased him down and held him until cops came.

Police officers said they found a bag of weed in Perouza’s pocket and that they later discovered a loaded 9mm Taurus handgun — which is strong enough to kill a small bear, and worth about $450 — in his possession. They then charged him with indecent exposure, possession of marijuana and weapons possession.

“Indecent exposure in the park is not uncommon … but [Marsala] potentially saved lives,” said Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates, which first reported the incident on its blog, A Walk in the Park. “This is very serious; crimes like this often go unreported.”

Perouza — a South Carolina transplant with no prior criminal record — could not be reached for comment on Friday. Apparently, he still had his hands full.

Meanwhile, park users were appalled.

“It doesn’t make me feel safe,” said Donnett Sampson, a babysitter who cares for two girls and a boy. “It feels dangerous. I’ve been taking my kids here since 2006 and never seen anything like this.”

Reach reporter Natalie O'Neill at noneill@cnglocal.com or by calling her at (718) 260-4505.

©2011 Community Newspaper Group

←Prospect Heights: Parking permitted! Council panel approves ‘pay-to-park’ plan for Barclays neighbors
→Cobble Hill: Sympathetic ‘Gray Lady’ raises big green for PTA embezzler

Reader Feedback

Gary from Brooklyn Heights says:
Can I get arrested for masturbating now? Well my evenings are going to get boring from now on.
Nov. 5, 2011, 7:46 am
Annabelle from Homeland Security says:
Where exactly did they grab him?
His knob? Or sack?
Nov. 5, 2011, 3:35 pm
johnnyboy from windsor terrace says:
by any chance, did he work for weiner.
Nov. 6, 2011, 9:03 pm
Robin from Park Slope says:
The cutesy-style of reporting is offensive, and asks for stupid comments in return. An armed man masturbating near a playground is not cute.
Nov. 8, 2011, 7:34 am
Noreen says:
I agree with Robin, I too found the comical writing style very offensive. Making light of an armed man masturbating near children at a playground is an insult to your website and it's readers. Many Thanks to the Heroic Park Ranger for doing the right thing!!
Nov. 8, 2011, 10:07 am
Shirky from Shimmy says:
Good thing his name wasn't "Woody!"
Nov. 8, 2011, 10:38 pm
Debby from Prospect Heights says:
I agree with Robin, also. This is not something to be taken lightly, or humorously. The art work and the title is totally ridiculous, too.
Nov. 9, 2011, 9:15 am
inyourface from brooklyn says:
we need more park rangers to stop crime in our parks. Bloomberg cut them to almost nothing.
Nov. 30, 2011, 9:08 pm

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