Police released this sketch of the man they said raped a 69-year-old woman in Forest Park on Aug. 26. Photo courtesy NYPD.
The rape of a 69-year-old female jogger in the Forest Hills’ section of Forest Park last week has left police leading a manhunt for the stun gun-wielding perpetrator, as well as residents calling on the city to repair lights that civic leaders say are desperately needed in light of this attack and another similar incident last spring.
According to the NYPD, the assailant used a black stun gun to attack the woman who was running inside the park near 72nd Street and Union Turnpike around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 26. The perpetrator is described as a white man who is between the ages of 30- and 40-years-old, stands at about 5-foot-10 with a thin build, and has short hair, police said. The NYPD also said the individual was wearing black sweat pants and a black tee-shirt.
There is a $22,000 reward for the arrest, indictment and conviction of the person responsible, cops said.
This is the second incident involving a man with a stun gun and a jogger in Forest Park this year. A 23-year-old woman was tasered in March by a man with a stun gun, but he ran from the scene after being spotted by a couple walking their dog, according to police. Richard Kassebaum, of Howard Beach, was arrested for the attempted rape at the end of March, but the Queens District Attorney’s office did not prosecute him for the crime.
Police have not said if the two incidents are connected.
“Wherever you are, if you are going to go jogging in a secluded area, do not go alone,” Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association President Ed Wendell wrote. “If you were going to go hiking in upstate New York, you would not go alone – do not do so in a city park.”
Wendell also noted that a “secluded area” can mean spots that are not far from a roadway.
“For example, as you go along Union Turnpike in Forest Hills, if you step inside the park and into the horse trails, you can see Union Turnpike from there but people on Union Turnpike will not be able to see you.”
Civic leaders also said there are a dangerous number of lights out throughout the Forest Park area. Wendell noted that there are lights out from Park Lane South to Myrtle Avenue along Forest Park Drive. He said that the condition was reported to 311 and that the Department of Transportation looked into it and, “unbelievably, they closed the 311 after inspecting it.”
Another “long, dark stretch” occurs along Myrtle Avenue from Woodhaven Boulevard to Park Lane South, Wendell said.
While residents are discouraged about the lights, they did say they welcome the increased police presence in Forest Park following the attack.
Anyone with information about the attack should contact the NYPD at (800) 577-TIPS.
By Anna Gustafson
