[Updated] Police Search For Suspect Who Tried To Rape A Woman In Ditmas Park Elevator

Video via NYPD

[Update 12/4 4pm: Police have confirmed that the attempted rape happened in an apartment building on Ditmas Avenue near East 22nd Street.]

A man tried to rape a woman in her Ditmas Park apartment building on New Years Day, while she rode the elevator up to her apartment, cops say.

The 22-year-old victim first saw the assailant as she walked into her Ditmas Avenue building on Sunday, January 1 at about 10:30pm, according to police reports. He sparked up a conversation at the doorway and followed her into the elevator. Once the doors were shut, he grabbed her, threw her to the ground and tried to rip off her pants. The victim screamed, and when the elevator doors opened he darted away.

The victim was treated and released at the scene by EMS. The incident is being investigated by Brooklyn Special Victims Squad.

NYPD surveillance footage above shows the suspect engaged in conversation, then entering the building.

The suspect is described by police as a black man, about 20-years-old, 5 feet 9 inches and 160 pounds with a dark complexion and short black hair. He was last seen wearing black work boots, a blue hooded jacket, and blue jeans.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

In June 2016, two suspects were caught in connection with an attempted rape near the Parade Grounds that occurred a month earlier; but as of November, five attempted rape cases in the Prospect Park & Park Slope areas remain unsolved.