Bayonne Man Laid Down, Masturbated Inside Store, Police Say

BAYONNE, NJ — A 43-year-old Bayonne man was arrested Wednesday evening after police say he exposed himself and masturbated while lying down on the floor of a store on Broadway.

The name of the store was not given by police. Terrence Sheppard, 43, of East 21st Street in Bayonne, was arrested.

The incident happened at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday at a store in the area of 23rd Street and Broadway, say police. According to the several witnesses and victims, including young juveniles, Sheppard entered the store and began looking at items on the shelves. He then lay on the floor at the front of the store and proceeded to place his hands down the front of his pants and begin masturbating, said police.

"After being confronted by a store employee, Sheppard stood up but continued his lewd act before exiting the store," said Bayonne police in their report. "It is believed that the juveniles were unaware of what had occurred."

He was charged with sex assault, lewdness and endangering the welfare of a child, and taken to the Hudson County Jail.