Police in Northern Virginia have arrested a man they say is responsible for a string of attacks on women near the Washington and Old Dominion Trail near Herndon. Herndon resident Juan Rodriguez Alfaro, 42, was charged with obscene sexual display, sexual battery, and indecent exposure related to attacks on Aug. 18 and 26. Police say Rodriguez Alfaro may be responsible for as many 21 similar attacks in Herndon and Fairfax County over the summer.

“This is the guy,” said Ryan Lazisky, assistant commander of the violent crimes division with Fairfax County Police, during a press conference Monday morning.

Lazisky said the first known attack on the trail was on July 15 in Fairfax County.

The arrest, Lazisky said, was a successful collaboration between Fairfax County Police, Herndon Police, and federal law enforcement.

“We were all out there on the trail handing out fliers, canvassing, talking to the community, and they were concerned,” Lazisky said. “It feels good for us to be able to say that you can feel safe again walking that path.”

Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard announced the arrest in a video posted on Sunday.

“I fully understand the safety concerns that our community has had over the last several weeks regarding these incidents, and most importantly, I wanted them to again feel safe while in the town of Herndon,” DeBoard said.

The W&OD Trail runs 45 miles, between Arlington’s Shirlington neighborhood and Purcellville in Loudoun County, and is popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists. For weeks, many trail users have been on edge, and officials have been warning people to stay alert on the trail.

DeBoard said the attacks on the trail first came to the attention of her department on Aug. 26, when officers responded to a call at the intersection of Ferndale Ave. and the W&OD Trail. According to DeBoard, a woman was jogging when she was approached by a man who “exposed himself and was engaging in obscene sexual behaviors and grabbed the victim’s genitals before fleeing the area.”

Herndon Police later acquired footage from a neighbor’s backyard security camera showing the suspect fleeing the area. From this video, and the matching description provided by the victim, police developed images of the suspect that they shared with the public.

A break in the case came on Sept. 6, when local investigators got a call from the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force. The Marshals were looking for Rodriguez Alfaro for an attempted rape committed in New York state, and they advised Herndon and Fairfax police that he could be the suspect they were after.

According to Lazisky, Rodriguez Alfaro moved from New York to Virginia in January.

Rodriguez Alfaro was arrested on Sept. 7 on New York state charges, but police in Virginia did not yet have enough evidence to charge him related to the W&OD attacks.

On Sept. 8, another victim came forward with new information that allowed police to obtain an arrest warrant. This victim told police of a previously unreported attack, and shared close-up video that she had captured of the attacker.

“Based on this video, along with other evidence and video footage collected from the various incidents that had occurred and with the assistance of the United States Marshal Service, the Herndon Police Department and the Fairfax County Police Department were able to make a positive identification,” said DeBoard.

Police say that though Rodriguez Alfaro is behind bars, the investigation is ongoing, and police are asking the public to come forward with any further information that could help. “We cannot do it without your help,” said DeBoard.

Herdon Police can be reached at (703) 435-6846, and Fairfax Police can be reached at (703) 246-7800. Information can also be shared anonymously at (866) 411-TIPS, with reward of up to $1,000.