By Christopher Haraden

A 39-year-old Hull man was arrested on Tuesday after four teenage girls reported that he performed a lewd act while driving next to them on George Washington Boulevard.

Filip Cerny was arrested Tuesday and charged with open and gross lewdness, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and unsafe operation of a motor vehicle, as the Hull Police Department’s investigation confirmed that Cerny exposed himself while driving unsafely in order to maintain eye contact with passengers in a car in the next lane.

According to a report by Sgt. Edward Minelli, “Mr. Cerny expressed that he did not intend for the girls to see what he was doing. Mr. Cerny expressed that he had been masturbating for one minute while driving and that he stopped when the girls saw him.”

However, in separate interviews with Hull Police Department sexual assault investigator Officer Leanne Marshalsea, the three 19-year-old girls and one 18-year-old recounted the same circumstances of the incident, which occurred around 4 p.m. on Monday.

The 19-year-old driver told police “that she tried to speed up but the van accelerated with her remaining next to her vehicle,” according to Marshalsea’s report. “She stated that at some point she slowed down and that the vehicle also slowed down in an effort to maintain the same speed as her.” She said the driver “looked over in their direction several times but did not make any facial expressions or say anything.”

All four girls said their vehicle and minivan were side by side traveling into Hull until the two lanes merged into one lane near Cumberland Farms on Nantasket Avenue. They followed the minivan until it turned off at A Street.

In the interview room at Hull Police headquarters on Tuesday, Cerny admitted to masturbating but “the ladies weren’t supposed to see anything,” according to the incident report.

Cerny was arraigned later that day in Hingham District Court and released on personal recognizance with the condition that he have no contact with any of the victims or witnesses.

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