Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The tips kept coming in.

There were calls. There was even a close-up photo of a person deputies would connect to at least two attempted abductions of two women. The help from residents, deputies say, helped them nab the suspect: a 13-year-old Pointe West resident.

Wednesday, dozens of people gathered at the gazebo in the neighborhood to hear Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers give an update on the events, which happened not far from 16th Street and 74th Avenue.

“The community provided us the photo which helped us solve this case. It made a massive difference,” Flowers said. “We were able to get on him right away, track him and get him into custody.”

The recent photo shows a clear image of the teenager, wearing a blue, black and white hoodie and black Adidas jogging pants with white stripes on the sides. The clothing not only matched the apparel of a person seen walking in a surveillance video – released by the sheriff’s office – in the area where the attacks occurred, but also the women’s description of the suspect.

Flowers also thanked deputies for their tireless efforts in arresting the suspect, who officials said is a Storm Grove Middle School student. Residents gasped in shock as the sheriff revealed the suspect’s age, along with him being 5-feet 10-inches tall and weighing 200 pounds.

The teenager was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with attempted kidnapping. Flowers said the youth was taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Fort Pierce.

It was unclear if additional charges were expected.

The July 2 and July 7 incidents caused shock among neighbors after they learned a masked individual approached the women after dark, pulled out a knife and tried to assault them, deputies reported.

“In the second incident, the young man came up to this woman from behind. Video shows him stalking her. He’s hiding behind cars, trying to follow her,” Flowers said. “He approaches her on her porch, and they get into a scuffle. She ultimately gets away and he takes off.”

Flowers said deputies are now investigating a third incident after a woman came forward after seeing the surveillance footage. The woman said the same teenager followed her home in late June and banged on her front door.

The attempted abductions are very unusual for the quiet, tree-lined Pointe West community, Flowers said. Deputies posted portions of the surveillance videos on social media.

After the footage was released, a witness came forward and sent deputies the close-up photo of the suspect. Deputies conducted a search warrant in nearby townhouses, where they recovered the Adidas pants and multi-colored hoodie.

Detectives interviewed the teenager, who said he felt he was in a “dream-like state,” according to the sheriff. Drugs were not involved in any of the incidents, sheriff’s officials said.

“He admitted somewhat he was the guy who did this,” Flowers said. “He saw the (surveillance) video.”

The sheriff said the teen’s mom is very frustrated.

“Mom is very upset with this situation. He’s bigger than her. She has no way to control him,” Flowers said. “We’re happy today he’s behind bars where he belongs.”

Even though the juvenile has been arrested, Flowers said the teenager, at some point, will come back to the house. Flowers said deputies will notify residents if the teenager is released.

The sheriff wants residents to still remain on alert.

“We have to stay vigilant,” Flowers said. “I’m so glad the community has been so engaged in this and that we were able to bring this to a quick resolution.”

The teen will have a delinquency hearing before a judge within 21 days per state law.

School District of Indian River County officials declined to comment because the investigation remains active. Residents who see any suspicious activity should call 911.