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Residents Stunned Over Alleged Rape of Teacher by NYPD Cop

By DNAinfo Staff on August 20, 2011 2:45pm

Officer Michael Pena (in white suit) was charged with raping a Bronx school teacher at gunpoint in Inwood on Aug. 19, 2011.
Officer Michael Pena (in white suit) was charged with raping a Bronx school teacher at gunpoint in Inwood on Aug. 19, 2011.
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DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg

By Patrick Wall and Tom Liddy

DNAinfo Reporters

INWOOD — Park Terrace West is a short stretch of road in Manhattan's northern end that feels miles away from the bustle of the city.

Single-family homes, many that have been in the same family for generations, and small buildings dot the tree-lined street, which is frequented by people with strollers, those walking their dogs and joggers.

But the quaint atmosphere of the closely-knit enclave was rocked Friday after an NYPD cop, Michael Pena, allegedly dragged a Bronx school teacher behind a building there and raped her at gunpoint.

"Who knows, it could have been me," one resident, a 32-year-old woman who did not want to give her name, told DNAinfo Saturday. "It’s really bothersome that someone who is supposed to be protecting the citizens would do something like that.

"It’s mind-boggling."

The nurse, who's lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, said that she has a whistle, but is considering getting pepper spray to protect herself.

She's also told her mom, who she lives with, "not to go jogging in the morning anymore."

Pena, a three-year veteran who is charged with rape, set on the 25-year-old victim as she made her way to work around 6:30 a.m., police said.  

Sources said that the 33rd Precinct officer asked her for directions and when she refused, he flashed his gun and forced her behind a building where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.

The victim did not know he was a cop until after the attack, sources said. Pena was awaiting arraignment Saturday.

"This is a safe neighborhood and this is shocking," said Jocelyn Gottschalk, 44, who lives in the area.

"Don't they have a screening process?" she asked of the NYPD. "If they don't follow up, I'm going to be pissed. The city needs to do something."

Gottschalk said that after a series of sexual assaults that occurred in the neighborhood, as well as Washington Heights and the Upper West Side in June, a mobile police command center was brought in.

Crime is also up in the 34th Precinct, which covers the area, nearly 23 percent year-to-date as of Aug. 7.  Rape was up more than 27 percent, with 14 incidents so far this year, compared to 11 in the same time period last year.

But Gottschalk said that the neighborhood feels so safe that people may not always be mindful of what happened.

"I guess we've kind of let our guard down because it seems like such a safe neighborhood," she said.

Real estate broker Susanna Saarinen, 43, said that she might be hesitant to call police in light of what allegedly happened.

"If this happens in broad daylight and it's a cop, then where are we safe," she asked. "You're a cop. You're supposed to have different moral standards and be a role model.

"You're not supposed to be one of the bad guys."

However, she felt that this incident did not represent the police department as a whole.

"I'm sure most cops are fine," she said. "There's always rotten apples."

Melissa Parks, 42, who lives in the area, agreed.

"I feel like this is an isolated incident, so that give me a little peace of mind," she said. "I thought the police handled this very well."

She said that many teachers, as the alleged victim is, live in the area because it's reasonably priced and close to schools in The Bronx.

"We really are kind of a family community, which makes this even more shocking," she said.