By Bill Parry
Police from the 115th Precinct were hunting for a man who raped a 35-year-old woman at knifepoint in Jackson Heights early Wednesday morning. The suspect can be seen in security video hiding in the bushes of a home on 84th Street near 34th Avenue, the NYPD said.
As the woman passes by, on her way home from work around 4:30 a.m., the man can be seen stepping out of the bushes donning a black ski mask, according to police. The suspect followed the victim for several blocks before pressing a knife to her throat as he demanded money, they said. The suspect pulled the woman into an alley between two houses near 84th Street and 35th Avenue where he raped her, investigators said.
The suspect then ran down the alley and climbed a fence leading to 83rd Street and fled in an unknown direction.
Police say the Hispanic man is 5-foot-4 with a slim build. He was wearing a dark colored shirt and jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
