NYPD looking for rape suspect who followed 21-year-old woman into building
NYPD looking for suspect in rape of 21-year-old woman
Detectives say that just after 1:00 am on Saturday morning, the suspect followed a female victim into a building; located near West End Avenue and West 65th Street. They say, once he was inside, he followed her into an elevator, and then allegedly forced her out of it and into a stairwell. FOX 5's Stephanie Bertini reports.
NEW YORK - The NYPD is hoping surveillance video will help them catch a man wanted for rape. Detectives say that just after 1:00 am on Saturday morning, the suspect followed a female victim into a building; located near West End Avenue and West 65th Street. They say, once he was inside, he followed her into an elevator, and then allegedly forced her out of it and into a stairwell. There, police say the 21-year-old was raped by the suspect. Next, they say he forced her outside, and then took off on foot. The female victim was taken to a nearby hospital.
"I’m in shocked just to hear that," said Bianca Figueroa who grew up in the area. She considers this section of Manhattan safe. "It’s scary,’ said Jose Fuentes who lives close by with his wife and two daughters.
According to police statistics, before this case, only one rape was on record in the area in 2023 so far. Last year, in the area defined as the 20th precinct by the NYPD ,only four rapes were reported. Therefore, this kind of thing is uncommon. According to police, the suspect stands about 5’8" and weighs about 150 pounds. It’s believed he’s in his 30s. If you have any information call Crime Stoppers.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
Police say that all calls are strictly confidential.