A Massachusetts man dressed as a mime is accused of harassing women at a park, then collapsed in court as the charges were read

A man who spent months roaming a Massachusetts state park dressed as a mime is now facing criminal harassment charges. He is accused of frightening female park employees before fainting in court as prosecutors read through the allegations against him.

According to the New York Post, Hernan Villagran Lux, of Framingham, is charged with three counts of criminal harassment stemming from incidents with three female Department of Conservation and Recreation employees at a state park in Natick, with the alleged pattern of contact spanning about two months. One of the women alone logged over 50 individual run-ins with him. Villagran Lux has entered a plea of not guilty.

All three of the alleged victims reportedly recognized Lux on sight well before the situation escalated, and prosecutors said the repeated contact eventually made them uneasy about being on shift whenever he was nearby. As reported by Boston 25, Framingham District Court Supervisor Andrew Mange told the court, “The women report an extensive number of contacts with the defendant involving him staring at them, smiling in what they describe as ‘a really unnerving and frankly terrifying manner.'”

This case escalated fast before it ever reached a courtroom

Things reportedly escalated as time went on, according to Mange. During one particular episode, the claim from prosecutors is that Lux “stripped down to his underwear, slathered cooking oil all over his body and began working out right by their staff area.” According to the women, he would not clear out of the park even after being told to leave multiple times.

On at least one occasion, he reportedly told an employee she was attractive and made a remark about her lips, which is when she and her coworkers walked away from where they had been stationed out of concern for their safety. Social media posts have since circulated across several Massachusetts towns, with people claiming they recognized Lux from Framingham, Natick and Wayland.

Separately, a number of women claimed online that they had been trailed or approached on the Cochituate Rail Trail by someone matching his description. The arrest itself did not come from a fresh complaint that night. Per the Boston Globe, troopers patrolling the trail on foot happened to spot Villagran Lux, who was already wanted on an open warrant connected to this case.

That same reporting notes he had three past run-ins over alleged shoplifting and one over driving without a license, all of which were separately dismissed by a local judge. Other trail regulars told NBC Boston that his mime routine was a familiar sight well before any of this happened. “I’ve seen this person walk by,” Dalia Stuart said, adding that she had always asked herself, “Why is he dressed like that?” Another witness, Chris Neofotistos, described the getup in detail: “Top hat, Dracula paint on his face, black cape, cane. Real creepy.”

The case echoes an incident earlier this year involving a man accused of trying to enter Sabrina Carpenter’s home more than a dozen times, which also ended with a court appearance and a restraining order. Neighbors near the trail described feeling unsettled once the allegations became public. “I spotted him, he looked kind of odd but I thought he was just dressed in a costume,” neighbor Nancy Dlott said, adding, “It’s kind of upsetting, especially if you’re walking alone.”

Another neighbor, Christopher Labella, said, “I just don’t understand what goes through someone’s head to do that,” and added that he hoped Lux “gets the help that he needs.” Lux collapsed inside the courtroom Monday while prosecutors were still working through the list of allegations, and he was treated at the scene before proceedings picked back up, Boston 25 reported. Afterward, the judge sent him to Bridgewater State Hospital for evaluation, seeking to determine whether he is mentally competent to stand trial.

Court paperwork indicates the police report will stay sealed until next summer, meaning the full investigative record is not likely to surface anytime soon.