A sinister stalker grabbed and tried to rape a 32-year-old woman on a tree-lined Queens street as his victim pleaded for her life, police said Saturday.
“Please stop! I have kids!” the woman screamed just before the predator covered her mouth with a handkerchief to muffle her pleas, police said.
The attack comes as police struggle to combat a 50% jump in rapes across the city this year. Cops released surveillance images of the suspect in the hopes someone would recognize him.
The woman was returning home from a bar at about 5:45 a.m. on Friday when the suspect crept up behind her on 94th St. near 31st Ave. in Jackson Heights, cops said.
“Do what I tell you!” the man seethed before he gagged his victim, threatened to kill her, and threw her to the ground, according to police.
He was in the middle of removing the struggling woman’s pants when he ran off, cops said.
The woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Responding officers recovered surveillance footage of the would-be rapist walking down the street, looking over his shoulder, at around the time the attack took place.
As of Jan. 19, cops were investigating 96 rape reports in the five boroughs — 32 more than reported on the same date in 2024, cops said.
Cops also saw an 18% jump in rapes last year, NYPD officials said. As of Dec. 29, cops had investigated 1,736 rapes — 274 more than the 1,462 reported the same time in 2023.
In July, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said his team would be tackling the increase head-on and had brought in more detectives to the department’s Special Victims Unit to do the job.
“We have upstaffed our Special Victims Unit tremendously,” he said. “We’re getting new talent in and we haven’t seen staffing like this in years. We’re really taking it seriously.”
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding Friday’s attack to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
