Police arrested a man Friday who they said had raped a 19-year-old woman on a bench in the Bronx two days earlier.
Xavier Chapman, 30, was hit with charges of rape, sex abuse and harassment for sexually assaulting the woman, who was sitting on a bench near Park Ave. and E. 183rd St. in Belmont early Wednesday morning around 3 a.m., cops said.
Chapman took off after the incident, heading east on 183rd St.
The victim refused medical attention from EMS at the scene.
The NYPD released surveillance footage Wednesday evening, in hopes someone would recognize Chapman, who was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants and black shoes.
The suspect lives just two blocks away from where he’s accused of committing the rape. He had a prior arrest in April for lewdness.
His arraignment at Bronx Criminal Court was pending Friday evening.
The incident came on the heels of another Bronx street rape on Tuesday, when a 33-year-old woman was sexually accosted on the sidewalk by an ex-con who called himself Romeo and, after raping her, gave her his cell number, a clue that led to his arrest.
The attacker, real name Nicholas DeJesus, 33, was charged with rape, sex abuse, assault and harassment, police said. He allegedly came up behind the woman at 5:45 a.m. by the Kingsbridge Stop & Shop on Broadway near W. 234th St., then yanked down her shorts and raped her, cops said.
“Give it to me,” the victim told police DeJesus demanded as he grabbed her around the neck, “or I’ll kill you.”
His arraignment is still pending.
So far this year, rape incidents have been on the rise in the Bronx, jumping 33.2% with a total of 397 rape incidents compared to 2024, where there were a total of 298 rape incidents, according to NYPD crime stats.
