Police in New York arrested a teenage suspect who they believe waited outside a mother’s Bronx home before threatening her at knifepoint. He then allegedly raped her at a nearby park — all in broad daylight.
According to CBS News, Christopher Martinez was arrested Thursday for rape. Additionally, the 19-year-old faces robbery, criminal sex act, and forcible touching charges. The Tuesday morning attack at St. Mary’s Park in the Mott Haven section of The Bronx has rattled the neighborhood.
The 19-year-old is accused of waiting outside the woman’s Mott Haven home, threatening her at knifepoint, and then raping her at nearby St. Mary’s Park in the Mott Haven neighborhood at around 8:30 a.m.
The 38-year-old Bronx mom dropped off her son at an elementary school and was about to step into her building when she was attacked. Surveillance video showed a man kneeling outside the entrance to the home, located not far from the entrance to the park. Wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, you can see the teen lurking by her stairs and pouncing on her. His face was covered, but the knife in his hand was clear in the footage.
The victim said that the man asked to be let inside her home, but she refused to let him in. That’s because her 17-year-old son was inside. He, instead, led her to the nearby park in The Bronx. Police said the suspect took her phone and wallet containing a debit card. He also demanded her PIN for the card.
He then left the area and made an unauthorized $3 charge on the debit card at a nearby deli.
The mom received medical treatment at a hospital and is recovering from the assault. She revealed is now too scared to return to her home and that she and her family want to move out as soon as possible. In a phone interview, she told NBC New York that she was traumatized by the attack.
