The NYPD has launched a manhunt for an individual believed to be responsible for sexually harassing four women in under two hours on South Brooklyn’s bustling streets.
The incidents unfolded on a recent Wednesday evening. The purported perpetrator embarked on his series of offenses on 19th Ave. close to Benson Ave. at about 7:40 p.m. According to police accounts, he groped a 25-year-old woman’s posterior and pressed himself against her before promptly making his escape.
His spree continued onto Bay 20th St. near Benson Ave., where he allegedly molested another woman, aged 31, around 8:20 p.m. In less than thirty minutes, he targeted a 16-year-old girl at the same location, where he reportedly groped her and hastily absconded, according to the police.
The suspect’s last known attack that evening took him three blocks away to the intersection of Bath Ave. and Bay 22 Street. Here, he surreptitiously approached a 25-year-old woman from behind and violated her in a similar manner. The Daily News reported that, while shaken, none of the victims sustained physical injuries in the assaults.
As yet, no arrests have been made in connection with these incidents. The authorities urge anyone with information to contact 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or via text message to 274637 (CRIMES), with TIP577 following the message. All communications will be held in the strictest confidence.
In a somewhat related incident, Kevin Campos, a 28-year-old homeless individual, was apprehended on Monday under suspicion of sexually assaulting a young woman in broad daylight on a Queens street, another NYC borough.
Earlier this year, in late April, another Hispanic man was nabbed on suspicion of choking a 68-year-old woman before forcibly dragging her into a garage and sexually assaulting her on a Bronx street, a further NYC borough.
March saw another incident in Brooklyn when a woman was sexually assaulted and beaten near Green-Wood Cemetery. Later that same month, a convicted felon was handed down a 20-year prison sentence for the rape of a grandmother in Brooklyn. The perpetrator had repeatedly assaulted her while brandishing a bible, which he subsequently abandoned at the crime scene prior to fleeing.