— A 14-year-old boy was sexually assaulted Monday afternoon on a Wake Forest greenway, police said.

The boy said he was walking on the Sanford Creek Greenway at about 3:30 p.m. when a man approached him. After a brief conversation, the man forced the boy into the woods nearby and assaulted him, police said.

The assault occurred near Prairie Smoke Street and Sanford Creek Avenue.

"So many people use these greenways. So many people feel safe using these greenways. I use these greenways, and I have always felt safe. But that is the thing – people are just alarmed at this time," Wake Forest spokesman Bill Crabtree said.

The man is described as white, in his teens or early 20s, 6 feet to 6 feet 4 inches tall and between 160 and 170 pounds. He had patchy, dark facial hair and was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and light-colored tennis shoes.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Wake Forest Police Department Tip Line at 919-435-9610.

Meanwhile, police urged greenway users to use caution on the trails and offered the following safety tips: