Stranger Rapist Strikes Near Prospect Park

Above: A police sketch of the suspected rapist, courtesy of the NYPD

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A 31-year-old woman was attacked while walking along Park Place near Flatbush Avenue by a would-be stranger rapist in the wee hours of Tuesday, July 12, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

Two weeks later, her attacker has yet to be identified or located.

The man allegedly approached the woman from behind just before 2 a.m. near 210 Park Place, in a quiet residential area — pushing her to the ground and removing her underwear while she fought to break free.

"The victim struggled with the unknown male and managed to free herself and ran for help before the unknown male fled the scene," the NYPD said in a news release.

The woman came away with abrasions to her face and knee, police said. She was treated for the wounds at Woodhull Hospital in Bed-Stuy.

Police have since drawn up a sketch of the suspect's face (see above). He is believed to be a Hispanic man in his mid-20s, standing around 5-feet-7-inches tall. He was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt.

Recognize the sketch? Police are asking members of the public to call in any tips to 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). For Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

At least 10 stranger rapes have been reported in Brooklyn since around April — a handful of which have been reported in the early-morning hours near Prospect Park. (And those are just the ones police have publicized.)

Brooklyn cops have been anonymously telling local news outlets like DNAinfo and and Park Slope Stoop that a single attacker is suspected to be responsible for as many as four of the Prospect Park-area rape attempts. But the NYPD's press office has repeatedly denied that notion.

The July 12 sex attack described above occurred in the NYPD's 78th Precinct, which covers Park Slope, Prospect Park, Gowanus and the western half of Prospect Heights.

Between mid-June and mid-July alone, four rapes (or attempted rapes) have been reported in the precinct, according to NYPD statistics — bringing the year's total, as of July 17, to eight rape reports, or 60 percent more than during the same time period in 2015. However, it's unclear how many of the victims in these cases knew their attackers.

While most categories of major crime are down across New York City so far in 2016, rapes are up 6 percent. In North Brooklyn specifically, they're up 4 percent this year, at a count of 127.

The only public statements NYPD officials have issued by way of addressing this ugly trend is to say that the rapes have mostly been domestic.