Police in New York City are currently searching for a male suspect who was caught on a surveillance camera this week tackling a 35-year-old woman onto the sidewalk, forcing his hands down her shorts, and groping her, police said.
According to police, the attack took place at approximately 8:10 p.m. on Monday, June 28 in Brooklyn on the boundary between the borough’s Williamsburg and Bushwick neighborhoods. The NYPD posted a 37-second video of the incident to Twitter on Thursday, which shows the unidentified woman—whose face is censored—walking south on Morgan Avenue with her attacker following about 10 feet behind her. After a few seconds, the victim appears to look back and see the man following her, then moves aside to let him walk past her. He walks by the victim without looking at her and the video then fades to black.
Police said the victim “noticed an unidentified male was following her” so she “turned to head westbound on Stagg Street.”
The video then picks up from a different camera on Stagg Street moments later showing the woman walking on the sidewalk. Her attacker had once again gotten behind her. He suddenly breaks into a sprint, running toward the victim’s back, then leaping on her and landing directly on top of her before tackling her to the ground. She appears to remain still while he gropes her for approximately 15-seconds before sprinting back in the direction from which he came.
“The male held the victim down, reached into her shorts and forcibly grabbed her buttocks,” the NYPD said. “The male then fled the location running eastbound on Stagg Street.” Police said the victim was not physically injured and refused medical treatment following the attack.
Screengrabs from the surveillance videos provided a clear picture of the attacker’s face. Police described him as being “male approximately 5’5″ tall, weighing 165 pounds, with a medium complexion, medium build and black hair.” In the video, he is seen wearing a black t-shirt, green camouflage pants, black sneakers, and a facemask that was around his neck.
The NYPD said the unidentified man is wanted for “forcible touching,” which, under New York state law, is defined as touching “the sexual or other intimate parts of another person for the purpose of degrading or abusing such person, or for the purpose of gratifying the actor’s sexual desire,” or subjecting a person “to sexual contact for the purpose of gratifying the actor’s sexual desire and with intent to degrade or abuse such other person.”
Authorities have asked the public to come forward to help identify the suspect and are offering a reward of up to $3,500 for information that may lead to his arrest.
🚨WANTED for a Forcible Touching on 6/28/21 at approximately 8:10 PM, in the vicinity of Morgan Ave & Stagg St @NYPD90Pct Brooklyn, The male tackled the woman from behind & grabbed her buttocks. Any info call or DM NYPDTips at 800-577-TIPS. Reward up to $3,500 pic.twitter.com/JziLYbouY0
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) July 1, 2021
[image via NYPD]
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