Man arrested after months of Mississauga 'night prowler' keeping residents awake

A Mississauga man has been arrested following months of complaints by residents of a “night prowler” keeping them up at night.

Mississauga resident Joseph Seli told CTV News Toronto last month that an individual had been frequenting his neighbourhood in the middle of the night, walking up and down Dovetail Mews and McMaster Road, yelling and screaming loudly.

The first time, Seli said, he encountered the man was in late August. He said the most recent encounter occurred this week when the individual approached children as they attempted to board a school bus in the early morning.

“He comes up to three times in an evening, once or twice a week,” Seli said. “He’s chanting the same thing over and over again — that something's going to happen in five hours.”

Seli expressed concern over his eight-year-old daughter’s mental well-being, adding that she was “frightened” of the individual.

When reached for comment last month, Peel Regional Police told CTV News Toronto that they had responded to reports of a male walking up and down Dovetail Mews “yelling and screaming” three times since August. All of the incidents were reported to have occured between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

On Thursday, Peel police confirmed that the individual had been arrested.

According to police, officers responded to the area of Dovetail Mews and McMaster Road on Dec. 1, at approximately 7 a.m. in regards to reports of a suspicious person.

“Once officers arrived, they were able to determine that the man involved in this incident is believed to be the same individual that had been reported to police on several previous occasions,” Const. Akhil Mooken said.

As a result, a 37-year-old man from Mississauga has been charged with one count of mischief. He appeared at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on Dec 1.