Victim In Crown Heights Attempted Rape Spree Speaks Out

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A woman who was attacked as part of a one-night spree of attempted rapes in Crown Heights told Patch about her experience.

Police are now saying that four women were attacked the night of July 12 into July 13, after initially saying last week that there were only two.

"I was returning home from the theatre (around 1:00 a.m.) and entered my apartment building," the victim told Patch in an email.

"I took the elevator up to the 5th floor, opened the door to my apartment, and a man that identically fits the description of the man you mentioned in your article approached me from behind. He put his hand around my mouth and pushed me inside my apartment, telling me to 'be quiet.' His intentions were very clear.

"Thankfully, my roommate was home and came out of her room. The man reneged a bit and began asking if we could charge his phone and some other nonsense. I convinced him to leave and waited around 20 minutes before alerting the police who are always parked outside of the apartment."

This victim, who Patch isn't naming, said police did not initially file a report because she wasn't physically harmed. Now, she says, "There are many detectives on the case now and they've been very helpful."

Last week, police gave details of a man they said attempted to sexually assault two women in their apartments in the early morning of July 13, around Lincoln Place and Albany Avenue and Dean Street and Nostrand Avenue.

Police are now saying there were another two attacks in the area.

One came a few hours earlier, police said, around 11:45 p.m. on July 12. The man followed a 22-year-old woman to her apartment near Pacific Street and Nostrand Avenue, put his hand over her mouth and pressed her against the wall of her apartment, police said.

He "touched the victim's genitals and told her he wanted sex," police said. The woman screamed and fought him off and he fled the area, according to police.

Later, at 1 a.m., he followed the 29-year-old woman mentioned above to her apartment near St. Marks Avenue and New York Avenue, police said.

The man was described by police as approximately 6-foot-1, slim, with short hair and clean shaven. He was wearing a black T-shirt with white text across the chest, light colored jeans and sneakers.

The NYPD's Special Victims Unit is investigating both incidents to see if they are related and "an extensive search for video and potential witnesses is underway," police said.

If you know anything about either incident, here's how police say you can get in touch with them:

Anyone with information in regards to these incidents 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 Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

Image via NYPD