BUSHWICK — Police have apprehended the man they believe raped a 27-year-old woman at knifepoint as she walked home from the Kosciuszko Street J train stop early Tuesday morning, police said.
The man crept up behind the unsuspecting victim on Aug. 16, grabbed her by the neck and forced her into the entranceway of a closed garage near the intersection of Evergreen and Dekalb avenues and sexually assaulted her at about 2:30 a.m., according to police.
He threatened to stab and kill her, took $5 cash and her phone, though later returned her phone, police said.
After the rape, the man ran away and the victim soon called the police. Emergency workers rushed her to the hospital for treatment.
She described her attacker as wearing blue jeans, a dark colored shirt, and red sneakers and in his mid 40s, according to police.
A day later, police responded to a 911 call and found a man with a knife who fit the victim's description.
"We have someone who is likely to be charged in police custody at this time," NYPD spokesman Brian F. Magoolaghan said.
The neighborhood has seen a spate of rapes in recent weeks. By Aug. 7, there were 30 percent more rapes in Bushwick this year than last year, up to 21 so far.
On July 25, a burglar broke into a woman's house while she slept and raped and robbed her. While on June 19 a man slashed a woman's neck while trying to rape her on the street.
No arrests had been made in either incident, police confirmed Wednesday.
Overall the number of rapes citywide has gone up by this year by 5.5 percent compared to last year, according to NYPD statistics.
