The Oceanside Police Department is on the lookout for a man accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who was camping at Guajome Regional Park.
The teen, who was on a camping trip with her religious group was asleep alone in her tent when a man crept in and assaulted her on Sep. 26, according to OPD. There were other girls in nearby tents, and the victim's mother was sleeping in a van parked on site, police said.
Guajome Regional Park Campground is a popular place, and campers will tell you it’s usually packed. That’s why a report of a sexual assault caught some of them off guard.
"It's a total surprise, a total surprise. A total anomaly," said Ray Delgado, who lives nearby. He said he comes to the park often, but this was his first time camping there.
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Becki Myes is also a nearby resident and frequent visitor.
"[The assault] is really sad, especially in a wonderful quiet place like this," Myes said. "Never heard of such a thing.”
OPD is investigating the assault, and a spokesperson for the County Parks and Recreation Department said they’ve increased patrols on the campground. A camper who checked in Tuesday told NBC 7 they heard about the attack from one of the rangers.
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At this point, investigators are calling it a random attack and that there is no known relationship between the victim and her attacker.
"This world that we live in, there are so many things that can come about. You just have to be alert basically all the time," Delgado said.
The alleged assault took place at night time, so police say they don't have a detailed description of the suspect. They did say, however, that he has tattoos on both arms, one of them being a swastika.
