A person — or possibly people — scaring the North Somerset area of England since 2019 in a black latex bodysuit similar to one worn by the Rubber Man on “American Horror Story” may have been caught on film.
On Friday, The Telegraph shared footage taken by one of two men who were approached by a man flopping around on the ground grunting around 1am on October 25. The man is seen wearing a bodysuit and blue latex gloves while covered in mud.
At one point, he says, “look what they did to me,” before getting up, accepting a cigarette from the two men — who clearly find the incident more funny than scary — and walking away into the dark.
Police responded to the incident and, with the assistance of a dog unit and police helicopter, searched the area.
“A man in his 30s was subsequently arrested from an address in the local area on suspicion of causing a public nuisance,” confirm authorities. “He has since been released on bail with conditions to remain home between 9pm and 6am and to present to a police officer on request.”
Acting Inspector Lee Kerslake said they responded to quickly to the report “due to its similarity with other previous incidents which have caused significant alarm and distress to members of the public.”
While Kerslake said nobody has been physically harmed during any other incidents, “they have caused concern to the local community and we are determined to identify the individual or individuals responsible and stop them.”
He added that police “continue to keep an open mind about the intentions of the man on Millier Road and whether the incident is linked to any others.” Kerslake also told BBC that authorities “are determined to identify the individual or individuals responsible and stop them.”
The so-called “Somerset Gimp” has been spooking the area since 2019 and has been spotted at least 16 times, with witnesses describing a “grunting man” in latex. Two men were arrested in connection to one sighting in 2019, but due to “insufficient evidence” they were released. Then, in 2021, police received another report of a “masked man” looking at a couple inside their home through a window, but no suspect was apprehended. There was another sighting back in June.
Per The Telegraph, authorities are still investigating whether all the sightings are of the same person or possibly copycats.
“I know that the community are very concerned about escalations. I’m fairly comfortable at this stage and that’s not something I’m particularly worried about,” Inspector Adam O’Loughlin told i News, “because we’ve seen no sign of that happening over the years.”
, Entertainment,International, ,