A New Jersey man faces indecent assault and harassment charges after allegedly groping a woman dressed as the Easter Bunny while she worked a children’s photo session at a Pittsburgh-area mall.
The incident happened on March 23 at South Hills Village Mall in Upper St. Clair. According to the criminal complaint, 36-year-old Bera Shivakrishna of Jersey City approached the costumed worker as she posed for pictures with families. He asked inappropriate questions about who was inside the suit, including whether the bunny was “a boy or a girl.” When the victim directed him to speak with her assistant, he refused and began touching her.
Police say Shivakrishna grabbed her arm, fondled the top of her chest, groped her breasts through the costume, and inserted his fingers into the nose and mouth openings of the Easter Bunny mask. The woman told investigators she was paralyzed with fear during the encounter.
Upper St. Clair police reviewed mall security footage to identify the suspect. Officers found him asleep in the top row of an auditorium at the adjacent AMC Theater. When taken into custody, Shivakrishna reportedly asked if the bunny was near a Five Below store and later said, “It’s a doll, right?” After being told it was a real person, he claimed his hand touched her “by mistake.”
Shivakrishna was charged with indecent assault and harassment. He failed to post $10,000 bail and remains in the Allegheny County Jail. The victim testified at his preliminary hearing on April 2 at the Bethel Park Magistrate, and the case is moving forward to trial.
No one was injured. The Easter Bunny photo event was a family-friendly activity in a busy section of the mall near retail stores. The unusual allegations have drawn significant local attention.
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Upper St. Clair police reviewed mall security footage to identify the suspect.
