A 37-year-old West Palm Beach man is facing felony charges after police say he sexually assaulted a woman he had first connected with on TikTok, locking her inside his car at a Palm Beach County outlet mall when she tried to leave, as reported by WPBF. Windy Christian Forelus was arrested on Sept. 30 and charged with sexual battery and false imprisonment, according to investigators.
According to WPBF, the woman met Forelus through TikTok after he offered to help support her online business, and the two agreed to meet at Tanger Palm Beach Outlets on Sept. 12. Police say she voluntarily got into his vehicle in the mall's parking lot, a detail investigators stress to explain how the encounter began before it turned criminal.
Affidavit Describes Locked Doors and Assault
Once inside the car, the woman told Forelus she wanted to leave, according to the probable cause affidavit cited in the station's report. Instead, the affidavit states, Forelus locked the vehicle doors, prevented her from leaving and sexually assaulted her.
After the reported assault, the woman drove to Miami, where she underwent a sexual assault examination at a hospital, the same report notes. She later reported the incident to the West Palm Beach Police Department and provided a recorded statement to detectives.
Phone Records and Surveillance Video Led to Arrest
Detectives said they identified Forelus through the phone number he had used to contact the victim, and linked him to a black Dodge sedan seen near the outlet mall around the time of the encounter. Security video from the shopping center also showed the victim and Forelus meeting in the parking lot, per the account relayed to the station.
Investigators said the victim later identified Forelus in a police photo lineup as the man who assaulted her. Detectives then arranged a controlled phone call between the victim and Forelus, during which authorities said he made statements admitting to the sexual assault and apologized for his actions.
Booked Into Palm Beach County Jail
Forelus was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Sept. 30 and remained held on the sexual battery and false imprisonment charges, according to jail records cited in the report. A mugshot listing from palmbeachfl.mugshots.zone describes the charges as sexual assault involving an adult victim without physical force or violence, alongside false imprisonment, with bond set at $500,000 on each count — differing in terminology from how the affidavit summary characterizes the offense.
The case remains under investigation, and no additional details about Forelus' attorney, court dates, or a possible disposition have been made public.
