JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville woman says a frightening encounter inside a River City Marketplace store on the Northside has exposed what she believes is a gap in Florida law after police told her they could not arrest a man she says followed her through the store while touching himself.
Now, a TikTok video detailing her experience has been viewed tens of thousands of times and prompted hundreds of comments from women who say they have experienced similar incidents.
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Rhiannon Alvarez told News4JAX she was shopping for artwork inside HomeGoods when she noticed a man following her through several aisles.
“At first, I thought I was imagining it,” Alvarez said. “When I finally realized this is actually happening to me, I dropped my cart and grabbed my purse and went to the front.”
Alvarez said she alerted store employees after realizing the man seemed to be sexually gratifying himself while watching her.
“The employees also stated when they rewatched the video, it was blatant; he was pleasuring himself while following me,” she said.
According to Alvarez, the man left the store after realizing he had been noticed. She recorded his license plate before calling the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
She said officers arrived about three hours later.
“Within two minutes of talking to me, before seeing video or anything, the officer had decided there was nothing they could do,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said the responding officer later reviewed the store’s surveillance video but still told her no criminal charges could be filed.
When News4JAX requested a copy of the incident report from JSO, the agency responded that no records existed. However, the sheriff’s office confirmed it received a call about the incident.
The I-TEAM has asked JSO why no arrest was made and why no report was generated. JSO told us they had a record of going out to the store, but in the call notes, the officer noted “no crime committed.”
HomeGoods’ parent company, TJX Companies, said it cooperated with investigators.
“At HomeGoods, we take the security of our customers and Associates very seriously. We are aware of this matter and have cooperated with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. We will continue to assist law enforcement as appropriate and respectfully defer further comment to the authorities,” the company said in a statement.
Why wasn’t it a crime?
Alvarez said she struggles to understand why the alleged behavior did not result in criminal charges.
“I feel like that’s just as much a crime as anything else,” she said. “I don’t understand how it doesn’t fall under public indecency or lewd and lascivious conduct.”
The I-TEAM reviewed Florida law and consulted legal experts about the case.
Under Florida law, simply touching oneself in public is not automatically a crime. Florida’s exposure statute generally requires a person to expose their sexual organs in a vulgar or indecent manner. If there is no exposure, prosecutors may have limited criminal charging options depending on the facts of the case.
Whether another criminal statute could apply depends on the specific circumstances and evidence.
Viral video prompts broader conversation
Frustrated by the outcome, Alvarez shared her experience on TikTok.
The video quickly gained traction online, with hundreds of commenters, many identifying themselves as women in Jacksonville, sharing stories of stalking, harassment and encounters they say were not taken seriously by law enforcement.
“I’m not the only one it’s going to happen to, and I’m probably not the only one that’s happened to,” Alvarez said. “On my TikTok, there’s 700 comments and half of those comments are other women in Duval County expressing their need for help.”
She hopes her experience will lead to changes in state law.
“If this is legal, make it illegal,” Alvarez said. “We amend laws all the time about things that are much less important than women’s safety.”