Red Bank Police arrested a 46-year-old borough man in the early hours of Tuesday morning following a reported sexual assault of a woman on Monmouth Street, police Capt. Steve McCarthy reports today.

The victim, a 24-year-old resident of Little Silver, told police she had been walking along Monmouth between Broad Street and Maple Avenue when a man stepped stepped out from an alley between two stores and said, “I’m going to bring you where you belong.”

He then grabbed the woman about the waist and groped her sexually, according to the report.

“The victim then pulled away, fell to the ground and ran for help,” according to a statement issued by McCarthy. The accused fled the area.

Ptl. George Travastino, who responded to the 2:14a call, was able to locate the accused, Raul Cruz-Flores, in the White Street parking lot. Cruz-Flores was identified by the victim and subsequently charged with criminal sexual contact, police say.

Bail was set at $2,500 by Municipal Court Judge William Himelman and Cruz-Flores was transferred to the Monmouth County Correctional Facility.

Sgt. Michael Furlong and Ptl. Paul Perez assisted Ptl. Travastino in the initial investigation and arrest. Inv. David Hicks and Sgt. Eliot Ramos conducted the follow-up investigation.

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