102nd officers Jose Cotto, fifth from left, and Vianka Schuman, fourth from right, were honored by the 102nd Community Council and NYPD leaders at the council’s meeting for tracking down and arresting a man who robbed a woman at knifepoint. Anna Gustafson/The Forum Newsgroup
While police said they are following numerous leads that they hope will bring them to the man who raped a 69-year-old jogger in Forest Park at the end of August, the perpetrator remains on the loose – and Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) said this week that he hopes to bring security cameras to the area to bring residents some peace of mind.
Miller told residents gathered at the 102nd Precinct Community Council meeting Tuesday night at the Richmond Hill Library that he has allocated $250,000 for cameras but is waiting on a commitment from the NYPD that the security devices will definitely go to Forest Park.
“I don’t want to put the money out and have them say, ‘Well, we needed them here or there,’” Miller said of the police.
Since the end of August, police have been searching for a stun-gun wielding man who they say raped the elderly jogger around 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 in the section of the park near 72nd Street and Union Turnpike.
Police believe the individual is also linked to at least five other sexual assaults in the area since 2011 – including attempting to rape a 13-year-old girl walking near Park Lane South and Myrtle Avenue.
Police are still looking for this man, who they say is wanted in connection with the rape of an elderly jogger in Forest Park. File Photo
The attacker is described as a white man who is between the ages of 30- and 40-years-old, stand at about 5-foot-10 with a thin build, and has short hair, according to police.
Anyone with information should contact the NYPD at (800) 577-TIPS.
Also at the council meeting, two officers from the 102nd were honored for tracking down and arresting a man who had robbed a woman at knifepoint in Woodhaven.
Officers Vianka Schuman and Jose Cotto were commended for their work after they received a call at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 28 that there was a robbery in progress. The complainant reported she was sitting on the J line train that was stopped at 85th Street and Jamaica Avenue when a perpetrator displayed a knife, snatched her iPhone from her hands, and proceeded to run away, Capt. Matt Hanrahan, executive officer at the 102nd, said.
The officers located the phone using the “Find my iPhone” application and discovered the perpetrator had, within minutes of stealing it, sold the device to a corner deli for $45. The two cops were then able to apprehend the man and arrest him.
One resident attending the 102nd meeting asked Hanrahan why crime statistics were up in the precinct and if that indicated a borough- or city-wide trend.
“There’s a spike because the numbers are compared to last year, when they were down because of Hurricane Sandy,” Hanrahan said. “It’s not so much that we had an increase but a return to normalcy.”
The number of crimes overall has risen in the 102nd since last year, including a spike in felony assaults and grand larcenies.
There have been 279 felony assaults reported in the precinct so far this year, compared to 213 at the same time last year, according to city statistics. The number of grand larceny reports has jumped from 371 at this time last year to 408 this year.
By Anna Gustafson
