TORONTO -- A 44-year-old man is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl while she was walking home from school in Whitby in September.

The 16-year-old girl was on her way back to her house when she was approached by a man from behind and forced to the back of a commercial premise in the area of Brock Street and Maple Street West, police said in a news release issued on Thursday.

The man allegedly sexually assaulted the girl before an employee of a nearby store noticed and asked them to leave to premise.

Police said the man then followed the girl to her home.

“The suspect followed her into her residence but a family member removed him from the home,” investigators said in the news release, which was issued after the incident was reported to officials on Monday.

A 44-year-old male was arrested after allegations that he sexually assaulted a young female as she walked home in Whitby.



News Release - https://t.co/eoEvVYzirh — Durham Regional Police (@DRPS) December 19, 2019

Nicholas Bereznai, of Lyndhurst Crescent in Whitby, has been charged with sexual assault in connection with the investigation.

Officers said they want to ensure there are no other victims.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact police at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 5248 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.