Feb 3, 2015 2 min read elder abuse

Cops Still Hunting Perp Who Sexually Assaulted Fort Greene Grandma; Encourage Seniors To Travel In Groups

cumbo town hall — Councilmember Laurie Cumbo addresses a crowd of seniors at a January 31 town hall on senior safety.

It has been a month since a 75-year-old woman was attacked, sexually assaulted and robbed in an outdoor stairwell on North Oxford Walk, near the Ingersoll Houses, while collecting recyclable cans and bottles on New Year’s Day, and the NYPD is still seeking leads that could help them catch the suspect.

In response to a resident’s question at the January 20 meeting of the 88th Precinct Community Council, Captain Peter Fiorillo sought to dispel rumors that the woman had died. “She is still alive and the case is still being investigated,” although by a separate NYPD division that deals with victims of sexual assault.

“There were no witnesses, a rape kit came back negative and she had mental issues that prevented her from remembering [the suspect], but she was found in a stairwell with her pants down,” added Police Officer Houser of Police Service Area #3, which covers the NYCHA public housing buildings in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

According to CBS2, she also suffered a fractured eye socket.

Houser was speaking to a crowd of nearly 50 seniors and NYCHA residents on January 31 at a town hall at the Willoughby Senior Center, convened by Councilmember Laurie Cumbo to address concerns about public safety and elder abuse.

In his remarks, Houser also sought to encourage local seniors to travel in groups and vary their routine so that people who want to do them harm don’t easily know where they will be on any given day.

“In our community, we have to look out for each other, especially because [senior’s] routines are so set,” said Houser. “Go out in groups. Shake it up a little bit. And report things, or else we don’t know what’s going on.”

For example, the 75-year-old grandmother who was assaulted at around 8am on January 1 was a fixture in the community, known by residents in and around Ingersoll as a “sweet” woman who embarked on a regular morning recycling route.

If anyone has any information about her assault, they are encouraged to contact the NYPD‘s Sex Crimes hotline at 212-267-RAPE.

You can also contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477), submitting a tip online, or by texting your tips to CRIMES (274637), then entering TIP577.