Police hunt for man terrorising women on popular Linear Park Trail

Police are hunting for a man who has left several women in fear for their lives as they walked alone along a popular section of the Linear Park trail. See the video.

Mikayla Gradara was attacked on the Linear Park trail. Since then other women have come forward.

Police are now actively patrolling for a man on a popular walking trail in Adelaide’s north east.

Several women have now reported terrifying incidents where a male jogger on Linear Park, near Athlestone and Highbury, has been gesturing and speaking aggressively to others.

It is understood this has gone on in “recent weeks”.

Three women have allegedly been confronted by an aggressive man on the same walking trail in Adelaide. #9News

READ MORE: https://t.co/tRiEIkqdrgpic.twitter.com/tbKUUBVSnh

— 9News Adelaide (@9NewsAdel) May 5, 2024

Police say they have been patrolling the area with bike patrols monitoring the area regularly.

The Advertiser first reported a horrifying incident on the popular walking track in April that left a woman fearing for her life.

Mikayla Gradara, 26, was going for her daily walk along the Linear Park trail at Athelstone at 7am on Wednesday April 17, when she was intercepted by a man behaving “aggressively”.

Ms Gradara said she first saw the man threatening an older woman by “sticking the middle finger in her face”, before he turned around and began to approach her.

“He began walking towards me but, unless I turned around, there was only one way to go,” Ms Gradara said.

“I tried not to make eye contact and just kept walking, but he started blocking the trail so I couldn’t walk around him.

“He then started bouncing on his feet as though he was in a boxing ring before he came up right into my face … I said to him: ‘Can you please stop’, but then he jolted at me in a really intimidating movement.”

Since then at least three more women have come forward to report similar incidents with police now trying to identify and locate the man.

Another victim told Nine News that she managed to film a man who attacked her in a similar way at Highbury as he ran away.

One of the victims filmed the man as he fled in Highbury. Picture: 9NEWS Adelaide

“I could hear footsteps behind me. And then this person was right up in the back of my head and ear and was yelling abuse in a frightening and extremely aggressive way.”

Police urge anyone who witnesses suspicious or aggressive behaviour to contact their assistance line on 131 444.

On average in Australia, a women has been killed every four days by a man and one in three women have experienced physical violence from a man since the age of 15.

Last week the federal government announced $925m over five years to help women escape violent relationships under a suite of measures to combat high rates of gendered violence.

In SA, tough new laws have also just passed that would see defendants on bail for breaching domestic violence intervention orders made to wear electronic monitors and follow strict home detention orders.