Police are searching for a man who allegedly exposed himself to a female University of Wisconsin student at a Madison Metro bus stop Feb. 16.

According to UW Police Department Lt. Eric Holen, the suspect allegedly followed the woman off bus route no. 80 after the bus made its scheduled stop at Park Street and Observatory Drive outside Memorial Union at approximately 8:45 p.m. He then allegedly grabbed the woman's wrist and exposed himself to her.

Holen said the bus driver and a man in the vicinity intervened, but that the suspect escaped and ran off.

Holen added a UWPD detective is looking into the case, but said police do not have any substantial leads as of yet.

"We're hoping to get information from other passengers on the bus and people in the area," Holen said, adding police are looking for more descriptive information of the suspect's appearance.

The suspect is described in a UWPD report as an approximately 40-year-old white male, last seen wearing black dress pants, a white button down shirt, black pea style coat and a red striped scarf.

The suspect is wanted for "lewd and lascivious" behavior, a misdemeanor charge, Holen said.

According to the police report, the man exhibited "strange" behavior prior to getting off the bus, but Holen said he did not have enough information to elaborate.

A Madison Metro official said Monday the odds of incidents occurring on bus route no. 80 are slightly increased simply because of the high levels of usage.

"It's a very popular route," Madison Metro representative Mick Rusch said. "More things can happen on any given day."

Rusch added this was the first such incident he heard of this year.

According to Rusch, Madison Metro instituted a code of conduct this year, and that bus drivers could call the police and remove any passengers found to be in violation of it.

Rusch also said Madison Metro buses are equipped with silent alarms and Global Positioning Systems to help police respond to incidents as quickly as possible.