The executive vice president of a New Jersey hospital was arrested for exposing himself in a series of incidents at the University of Delaware.
Gerald Picerno, 57, blamed his lewd behavior on “huge martial issues”, according to police. Picerno is accused of flashing his genitals on several occasions on the Newark campus.
Picerno worked at RWJBarnabas Health in West Orange, one of the largest healthcare systems in the state of New Jersey.
A spokeswoman for the hospital says Picerno has been placed on leave and his name and photo were removed from the company’s website, reports the New York Post.
Newark, Delaware, police say they were able to link Picerno to four incidents of lewdness or indecent exposure through fingerprints and surveillance footage.
On September 15, a 20-year-old student told police someone left a sexually suggestive note outside her apartment before knocking on her door. The note indicated that the person had been watching the women who lived in the home without their knowledge, according to the Newark Post.
Just a few hours later, a 21-year-old student reported seeing a clothed man pacing around her apartment parking lot. When she saw him again, he was standing near her car, naked and masturbating.
Approximately 30 minutes later, two 19-year-old students told police that a naked man emerged from behind a dumpster and jogged away with his clothes in his arms
The most recent incident occurred on October 15, when two women alleged they were approached by Picerno in a parking garage with just a t-shirt covering his genitals.
Fingerprints found on the note left at the woman’s home led investigators to Picerno. One of the victims was able to pick his photo out of a lineup.
Police were also able to use surveillance footage and information from automatic license plate readers to implicate Picerno. Court documents indicate Picerno drove to the Delaware campus in a vehicle registered to RWJBarnabas Health.
Picerno admitted to being in Newark during the time of the September incidents and surrendered to police on Friday at the Newark Police Department headquarters.
Picerno has been charged with three counts of lewdness, five counts of indecent exposure, two counts of third-degree trespassing and one count of harassment. He was released after posting a $5,500 bond.
Court records show Picerno had previously been charged with third-degree sexual abuse in New York in 1979 and pleaded no contest to a lewd and lascivious behavior charge in Florida in 1990.
