On June 13th, two teens were hiking through Kettletown State Park in Connecticut when a man followed them into the woods. The events that followed reportedly forced them to fight for their lives. Allegedly, a 23-year-old man targeted them to act out a sexual fantasy. The suspect, identified as Darius Moreno, is now facing a long list of serious charges following his arrest at the scene. According to CTPost, Investigators claim that he attacked them while armed with a knife. During the arraignment, Waterbury State’s Attorney Maureen Platt alleged that Moreno grabbed one of the girls by the hair and pulled her deeper into the foliage. He then reportedly forced one girl to the ground, attempting to suffocate her by pushing her face into the dirt, while simultaneously placing the other girl in a chokehold. In a statement, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) confirmed that their Environmental Conservation Police responded to the scene alongside Southbury Police Officers. Reports claim that when one of the girls attempted to use her phone to call for help, Moreno lunged at her, took the device, and continued his assault. He purportedly told the girls that if they complied with his demands, they would be permitted to leave. Statements collected indicate that the teens refused to give up Per CTPost, one of the girls managed to break free from his grasp and grabbed a large rock, striking Moreno in the back of the head. Even as he stumbled, he allegedly continued trying to pull down the second girl’s pants. The first girl then pelted him with more rocks, which finally allowed them to break away and sprint toward the park’s parking lot. They then reportedly screamed for help until other park patrons intervened. NBC Connecticut reported that the girls suffered minor cuts and scrapes during the struggle, but their quick thinking and physical resistance were ultimately what saved them from a worse outcome. Last year, a toddler was found wandering the woods in 40-degree weather. Just like in this case, the intervention of a neighbor and the police helped protect the child till the investigation was done. A prosecutor says the 23-year-old man "likes aggressive porn" and was acting out his sexual fantasy when he attacked the girls on Monday. https://t.co/mBgu34cxkY— Connecticut Post (@connpost) July 15, 2026 During his arraignment at state Superior Court in Waterbury on July 14, 2026, the outlet reported that prosecutors explored Moreno’s motives. Platt claimed that Moreno admitted to having a history of watching aggressive, forceful pornography and claimed this attack was the result of a sexual fantasy. He allegedly told the girls during the encounter that “he’s going to f–k them and rob them.” Moreno, who police say had been living out of his car, had a strange conclusion to his attempted escape. Interestingly, suspects usually flee into the woods and hide. Recently, Tennessee police were on high alert after an “armed and dangerous” veteran shot his wife and fled into the woods, where he successfully hid. After the girls fled, however, Moreno allegedly ran to the top of a hill to toss one of the stolen phones off a cliff. In the process, he lost his car keys. According to the police report, he realized he couldn’t leave the area, so he simply waited for law enforcement to arrive. When officers took him into custody, witnesses reported hearing him say, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” Teen girls beat up knife-wielding, porn-obsessed creep who tried to drag them into Connecticut woods and rape them https://t.co/AD6P3gwXOf pic.twitter.com/FbB7jcGi43— New York Post (@nypost) July 16, 2026 Moreno is currently facing multiple charges. This includes first-degree robbery, two counts of criminal attempt at third-degree sexual assault, two counts of first-degree unlawful restraint, two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of second-degree threatening, third-degree strangulation, interfering with an emergency call, carrying a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct. Prosecutors have indicated they plan to add two counts of first-degree kidnapping to the list. In response, CTPost wrote that Judge Hunchu Kwak set his bond at $1.5 million. Immediately following his arrest, his bond had initially been set at $250,000. Platt emphasized the severity of the situation during the court proceedings, stating, “It’s a horrific scene. The girls are terrified.” An EnCon police K-9 unit eventually recovered both the stolen phone and the missing car keys, securing key evidence for the case.