Alleged sexual assault perpetrator arrested in Nanaimo less than 2 hours after offence

A man that committed the alleged sexual assault of a 27-year-old woman in Nanaimo was arrested within 90 minutes of the incident on Monday after being identified via a social media post.

According to a press release by the Nanaimo RCMP, the victim was returning to her place of work early Monday afternoon when a man approached her from behind and proceeded to grab her around the neck and “groped her in a sexual manner.”

The victim then ran to safety at her nearby workplace and a photo of the suspect was taken by a colleague.

The photo was then posted on social media, where several individuals immediately provided helpful tips in the comments, allowing police to make a quick arrest less than two hours after the incident occurred.

The man was later identified as 35-year-old Brett Ranger, a Nanaimo resident with no fixed address. Ranger was charged with one count of sexual assault at Nanaimo Provincial Court on Tuesday and currently remains in custody.