A 21-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, police said Wednesday.
Cops have released pictures of the suspect as they turn to the public for help in identifying him.
The victim was near W. 10th St. and Fifth Ave. when the suspect approached, threatened her with a knife, and forcibly raped her around 4:40 a.m. on June 27, cops said.
The suspect ran off after attacking his victim and remained at large on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, cops released surveillance images of the suspect on a subway train. He was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and black and fluorescent green or yellow sneakers at the time of the attack. He was also carrying an olive green jacket.
The rape happened just four days after a 13-year-old girl was raped in a Bronx park, police said. Hernandez Cantu, 36, was charged with rape, acting in a manner injurious to child less than 17, sexual misconduct and sexual abuse.
A week before, on June 14, a 21-year-old woman was raped in the St. Nicholas Ave.—W. 125th St. subway station in Harlem, about a block away from the Apollo Theater, by a man she was on a date with, according to police.
That same day, a 17-year-old woman was raped inside Ferry Point Park near Emerson and Harding Aves. in the Bronx around 10 p.m., cops said. James Whiskey, 18, was charged with rape and sexual abuse for that crime, according to police.
Although murders and shootings in the city are at a historic low, the number of rape investigations has increased by 6% by the end of June compared to the same time last year. The jump is due in part to increased reporting by victims and an expanded definition of rape under the Rape is Rape Act, according to advocates.
The Rape is Rape Act broadened the state’s definition of rape to include nonconsensual sexual contact, officials said.
Anyone with information regarding the Greenwich Village sex attack is asked to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.