Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Cops Called To Park Slope Attempted Rape Allegedly Turned Down Stoop Surveillance Tape
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 8, 2011
Modified Jun 8, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 8, 2011
Modified Jun 8, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Remember that appalling video of the screaming woman who barely escaped a rapist on a dark and deserted Park Slope sidewalk? Well, it turns out that cops who were called to the scene didn't bother taking the video into evidence, according to one local resident who tells the Post his neighbor "was telling the police, 'I have the tape, I have the tape." But the cops allegedly told him "they weren't interested." It's unclear if the neighbors had the courtesy to offer the officers popcorn, but the NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating.
Apparently, the cops who answered the March 20th call were unable to find the woman or the perp, and decided that the call was "unfounded," despite the reports from alarmed neighbors who heard her shrieking for help. But police sources tell the Post that the woman called the cops several hours later to report the assault. She called again after hearing nothing for ten days, and was reportedly told that the case had, improperly, been closed. The victim was later interviewed by an investigator, and several weeks later the NYPD finally obtained the video.
Yesterday, the man who was described as a "person of interest" in the attack and a number of other incidents in Sunset Park turned himself into police. William Giraldo, 24, of Bensonhurst, maintains his innocence, but after questioning he was charged with rape, sex abuse, robbery and assault of a 28-year-old woman in the vestibule of her apartment on Saturday. He was not charged in the Park Slope incident, nor was he charged in two other attempted rapes in Sunset Park. Those three women were unable to pick Giraldo out of a lineup yesterday.
Tagged
brooklyn
park slope
rape
sunset park rape
suspect
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Police are still investigating bike crash that killed dad of 2 in Central Park
The family is raising money for the wife and two daughters he leaves behind.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 29, 2026 at 9:31 a.m. ET
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
News
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Billy Joel is auctioning off 70 of his motorcycles
By
James Ramsay
Man dragged to death by subway in Brooklyn after getting caught on closing doors
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Upper East Side braces for affordable housing fast track, and backlash from residents
By
David Brand
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .