'Lehigh Stalker' Pleads Guilty to Open Lewdness

A Bethlehem man who became known nearly a decade ago as the “Lehigh Stalker” for peeping through windows at nude college co-eds on Monday pleaded guilty to a new open lewdness charge, according to published reports.

Frederick Cruz-Hernandez, 43, admitted in court that he masturbated in front of a woman and then flashed her in the parking lot of the Wawa convenience store at E. Broad Street and Stefko Boulevard, according to The Morning Call.

He was sentenced to six months to a year in Northampton County Prison, the maximum sentence allowed for the misdemeanor he pleaded guilty to, the newspaper reported.

According to court records, the incident happened on March 14 at about 8:15 a.m. The victim told police that she was sitting in her vehicle at the rear of the convenience store when she noticed a man standing and facing her and masturbating over the outside of his gray sweatpants.

The woman said she was disgusted by the man’s behavior, but used her cell phone to video it so she could report the incident to police, the arrest affidavit says.

Then according to the affidavit:

• The man walked away, but returned “moments later” when he parked a tan Ford Ranger next to the victim’s vehicle. He got out of the truck, pulled down the top of his sweatpants, exposing his genitals to the victim.

• The woman told police she felt like she was in danger, so she drove away to report the incident.

• Bethlehem police tracked down Cruz-Hernandez, using the victim’s descriptions and by using her video and surveillance video of the Wawa parking lot. The victim then picked Cruz-Hernandez out of a photo lineup.

In 2005, Cruz-Hernandez pleaded guilty to indecent exposure and burglary for peeping through the windows of Lehigh University co-eds and, in some cases, entering their homes as they slept. Two of his victims said he had exposed himself to them.