Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Last Night's Sunset Park Groping Not Connected To Other Assaults, Police Say
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 11, 2011
Modified Oct 11, 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 Oct 11, 2011
Modified Oct 11, 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
Last night around 8 p.m. an 18-year-old woman was sexually assaulted just after she left a subway station at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park—a day after an attempted rape in the neighborhood. Last night's victim says the man sneaked up behind her, groped her buttocks, and ran away. Though the assault seems to resemble a dozen other similar assaults that have locals on edge in South Brooklyn, police say this one does not fit the pattern. Of course, they initially said that about a sexual assault in Windsor Terrace on Sunday and then changed their minds, so who knows? What we do know is that many locals are alarmed—and think the NYPD isn't doing enough.
“This is getting ridiculous," Laura Tendler of Kensington tells CBS 2. "I mean all these attacks. I think maybe police need to re-evaluate what they’re doing, that’s all. I’m sure they’re trying, but this is not a good situation." Around midnight on Sunday night, on Vanderbilt Street in Windsor Terrace, a woman was attacked by a man who sneaked up behind her and grabbed her breasts with both hands. "She was attacked by a man who pulled her down by her chest," the victim's sister says. "She screamed luckily or maybe I’d be looking for a dead sister."
Police say last night's perverted perpetrator, an Hispanic male, is much older than the other suspects and they do not believe the attack fits the pattern. Speaking to reporters yesterday, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "Yes, we are concerned about it. The Special Victims squad is very much involved in an all-out effort to arrest this individual or individuals. We’ve done a lot of canvasses. We are going through pictures. We are going through motion pictures."
But some say the NYPD's decision to show women video of attacks is flawed, and last week officers of the NYPD’s 72nd and 78th Precincts held a meeting with members of Safe Slope and Hollaback!, two groups that have been working to raise awareness. According to a press release, "police officers will now provide a 'trigger warning' to community residents before showing them a graphic assault video (being shown in an effort to identify the attackers). By giving the individuals the ability to opt out, the NYPD is acknowledging the sensitive nature of viewing attack footage, especially for victims of sexual assault or others who may be triggered by watching violent actions on film."
The statement also notes that during the meeting, the "commanding officers agreed that it is entirely inappropriate for officers to imply that women, because of how they are dressed, bear responsibility for being attacked, and have reinforced this to their officers." Progress! Now they just need to catch these guys.
Tagged
brooklyn
park slope rapist
sexual assault
sunset park
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
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
Some regulars at the East Village park want to preserve its not-so-fancy offerings.
By
Willow Higgins
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
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 .