CICERO, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — In August, MaryBeth Nappa went school shopping with her nine-year-old daughter at Walmart in Cicero. She says she passed by a man who appeared to be leaving, who started looking her up and down. She then said he followed her to another part of the store.
“He walked past the aisle we were in and turned around and stood at the end of the aisle, recording us,” Nappa recalled. “That put me on high alert.”
That prompted her to record him. She posted it to TikTok immediately and told the store manager.
“So if this happened to anybody else, maybe it would help them ID the person,” Nappa said of her decision to immediately post the video on social media.
And it did. Nappa contacted the police the next day and the video has since gone viral. More than a month later Cicero Police Chief Steve Rotunno says 33-year-old Eric Fuller of West Monroe, turned himself in.
“He was processed with stalking, fourth degree,” Rotunno said.
Rotunno said Fuller is also a level one sex offender. In this case, everything worked out, but Chief Rotunno wants you to contact the police right away. His advice? Never talk or approach the person in question.
“Never. Just gather as much information as you can, if there’s a vehicle involved gather a plate number, contact the police immediately, and also maybe the store manager and get the police started that way,” Rotunno explained.
In some cases Rotunno said taking video could escalate things, he says if you decide to, do it safely and keep a distance.
For Nappa, her main advice:
“If you have a gut feeling something isn’t right, then it’s probably not right.”
MaryBeth Nappa
Nappa said since posting the video, others have come forward with similar experiences. If you encounter this type of situation, Chief Rotunno encourages you to contact local police.
