Rhode Island man facing indecent exposure, disorderly conduct, child porn charges after allegedly riding bicycle naked, police looking for more victims

A Rhode Island man is facing several charges after several reported incidents.

According to police, earlier this morning, the Cumberland Police Department was called to the bike path along the Blackstone River for an older white male approaching female walkers while fully nude. Patrol and Detective units, with the support of Lincoln Police units from across the river, converged on the area and were able to locate 66-year-old Thomas Belanger from Pawtucket. Belanger was positively identified by the caller as the suspect in this encounter and who is believed to have been involved in several similar incidents between Cumberland and Lincoln over the past several weeks. At that time, Belanger was taken into custody without further incident and will be charged with indecent exposure- disorderly conduct and possession of child pornography.

Police ask the public if there were other specific incidents that you may have experienced of a similar nature with an individual matching this description or utilizing this uniquely setup bicycle in the above photograph that went unreported to reach out to Detective Joseph Holleran at (401) 333-2500 ext. 3036 or email jholleran@cumberlandpolice.com.

Chief Benson advised, “I’d like to thank the calling party for their outstanding efforts this morning and recognize our front-line staff, both sworn and communications, for quickly responding and locating the suspect. The bike path should be a place for community members and families to enjoy and to not have to worry about being accosted by individuals like this. With a suspect in custody, my hope is that those who utilize such a tremendous recreational opportunity can get back to simply enjoying the bike path like normal, especially during the fall months, without cause for concern.”