16-Year-Old Details Alleged Encounter With Adult Man at Gurnee Mills; Individual Banned From Mall

GURNEE, Ill. — New details are emerging about an encounter involving a 16-year-old girl and an adult man at Gurnee Mills that prompted the teenager’s family to contact mall security and police.

The individual was subsequently trespassed and banned from Gurnee Mills property, according to information previously provided by authorities. No criminal charges have been announced based on the information currently available.

Pulse Radio 96.1 has now obtained the teenager’s account of what she says happened inside the 2nd & Charles bookstore.

According to the 16-year-old, she was browsing inside the store when an adult man approached her and asked, “Where did you get that?”

The teenager initially believed he was referring to merchandise she was holding. She said she had helped another customer locate an item just minutes earlier and responded, “Back over on that shelf.”

According to the teenager, the man then clarified that he was not referring to the merchandise.

“No, I was talking about your beauty. You’re beautiful,” he allegedly told her.

The teenager says the man then reached toward her hand and asked for her social media information.

“Can I get your socials? Do you have Insta or Snap?” he allegedly asked, apparently referring to Instagram and Snapchat.

She responded, “No.”

According to her account, the man continued the conversation and asked, “Well, can I have your number?”

The teenager told him, “I don’t have a phone. My parents don’t let me have one.”

She said the man then left 2nd & Charles and walked back into the mall.

Teenager Immediately Alerted Her Parents

Following the encounter, the 16-year-old immediately went to her parents and told them what she said had occurred.

According to the family, she described the man as approximately 6 feet tall and Hispanic, wearing a brown cowboy hat, yellow shirt, tan pants and brown shoes.

Her father then entered the mall in an attempt to locate the individual.

According to the family’s account, he spotted a man matching his daughter’s description just a few stores away from 2nd & Charles and followed him while looking for mall security.

The father eventually encountered Gurnee Mills security personnel, explained what his daughter had reported and identified the man he had been following as the person matching her description.

Mall security subsequently stopped and questioned the individual regarding the reported encounter, according to the family’s account.

The father then returned to 2nd & Charles, where a Gurnee Police officer was already speaking with his daughter about what she said had happened.

Police Previously Said Other Possible Encounters Were Being Reviewed

As Pulse Radio 96.1 previously reported, authorities have not publicly released the man’s identity.

Information previously provided by the Gurnee Police Department indicated that the individual was reportedly a regular visitor to the mall and was known there.

Police also indicated they were looking further into the matter because investigators believed there may have been additional encounters involving the individual that day.

Gurnee Police and Gurnee Mills security have indicated that the man was trespassed and banned from Gurnee Mills property. Police could respond if he returns to the property in violation of the trespass notice.

No criminal charges have been announced in connection with the encounter based on the information currently available.

The teenager’s account provides additional context about what prompted her parents to seek assistance from mall security and law enforcement.

Because authorities have not announced charges or publicly identified the individual, Pulse Radio 96.1 is attributing the specific statements, alleged requests for contact information and alleged physical interaction to the teenager’s account.

The family’s decision to report the incident immediately allowed mall security and law enforcement to locate and question an individual matching the teenager’s description shortly after the alleged encounter.

This remains a developing story. Pulse Radio 96.1 is seeking additional information from the Gurnee Police Department regarding the investigation, whether other encounters involving the individual were reported that day and whether any additional action will be taken.