HINGHAM, Mass. — Police are looking for a man accused of exposing himself in front of a woman inside the Hingham Public Library Monday afternoon.
Police said the 29-year-old woman was sitting at table on the second floor, near the oversized book section, when a man sitting on the ground near several bookcases exposed his genitals. The man didn’t say anything to the woman.
The woman immediately left the area and told a staff member what had happened. When the woman went back to get her stuff, the man was gone.
"I just can't imagine," Maureen Santoro, a library regular, said. "It just isn't right."
Santoro said the incident is not something anyone would expect to happen in a public place, especially at the library.
"There is no place for something like that to happen, but especially a place that is so welcoming to families," Santoro said.
Alexa Filippas, another library regular, said the incident says a lot about some people in the area.
"It's creepy," Filippas said. "There's a lot of creepy people in the world."
Those who frequent the library said the incident serves as a reminder that these types of crimes can happen just about anywhere.
They also were left to wonder who the man is, what he wanted and if he has a history of these types of incidents.
"You don't know who you are dealing with," Marie Lima said.
The suspect is described as a white man, approximately 30 to 40 years old, last seen wearing an orange and yellow plaid short-sleeve shirt.
Now, some are left to wonder if increased security is needed, or if it's even a viable option at a place like this.
"Should be a safe haven, but there's only so much you can do," Mark Murphy, another library regular, said. "You really wouldn't like to have to see them install great security at a place like a library."
If you noticed anyone in or near the library or have any information, call Hingham police detectives at 781-741-1443.