The attack on a young woman on Hoyt Street right at the corner of President Street last Friday evening at around 11:30 PM shocked residents because of its brazen nature. Though Hoyt Street can be quiet at night, there are still lots of people walking around the neighborhood at that time of the evening.
According to several block residents, this is what happened:
A young woman in her mid-20's was walking back over the Carroll Street Bridge towards Carroll Gardens from Park Slope. She was approached by a man who told her that he had lost his cell phone. He used this as a conversation starter and as a distraction. He started to follow her, then grabbed her and put her in a chokehold, covered her mouth and forced her to the ground. She managed to free herself and to scream for help. Neighbors and a dog walker immediately came to her help.
The attacker fled towards 3rd Street. He was described as "hispanic with elbow-length curly hair," wearing a white T-Shirt. 911 was called and officers of the 76th Precinct on Union Street responded.
It would appear that the police may be familiar with the suspect.
Thankfully, the woman was fine, just badly shaken. She got in a squad car with Police to try and locate the man who had attacked her.
I have reached out to the 76th Precinct and am waiting for a call back. I will update the post as soon as I have further information.
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14 comments:
creepy creepy creepy and also right around the corner from me (though i heard nothing). is your photo of the driveway and the tree the exact location where the attack took place?
If not the exact spot, it happened at that corner.
i would not be walking at 11:30 by myself in that part of the neighborhood or in any part of the neighborhood for that matter.
learned the hard way after getting mugged in queens.
Projects just a few blocks away...but apparently this kind of activity has drastically decreased in the last few years due to police presence, right?
and? this isnt the cul de sac that you newbies grew up in. it's a big city, so pleae be careful.
Always with the victim blaming. COME ON PEOPLE...it is not unreasonable for a woman or anyone else to expect safety when walking home in this neighborhood (or any other for that matter). Sure, we should all be on guard in quiet areas after dark, but to suggest that someone is in the wrong for walking alone at 11:30pm is complete bull.
Elbow length curly hair? He shouldn't be that hard to find if that's the case.
I have to agree that this victim blaming is shameful. People should be able to walk in their neigborhood without being attacked by losers. I hope they find this guy.
Remember, it was only a year ago last April that a woman was attacked and mugged on Carroll St between Bond and Hoyt sometime after 7 when there was still some daylight left.
That section isn't desolate either. There always seems to be people walking their dogs late a night and people walking down President from the subway. The other weird thing is that corner isn't dark either at night because of the school across the street.
The "projects just a few blocks away" comment is ignorant and absurd. Until recently, I lived for 20 years a few doors down from where this assault took place and there was never any issue with the residents of "the projects." Of course phrases like this are just code for race. Crime may be way down in the city, but clearly bigoted ignorance isn't.
Criminals seize their opportunities & prey whenever they can, regardless of the safety neighborhood or the price of its real estate, day or night. That's what everyone should understand. Yes, CG is very safe compared to other parts of the city, but unfortunate incidents still DO happen. I, myself, was mugged on President St at 7pm in winter many years ago, and others have been victims of opportunistic crimes on President and other streets in the neighborhood, as most of us already know. That said, having lived here my entire life, I wouldn't dream of walking alone across the Carroll St Bridge (or any bridge over the Gowanus) at 11:30 pm at night. The area is sufficiently desolate to give me pause. Yes, people walk their dogs late at night and come home from the subway, but it's hardly such a parade of people that it would prevent a crime from happening. I'm sorry if that offends any of your sensibilities, but it's a fact of life. Some areas are best avoided at certain times, and common sense should be exercised by all. It would be a wonderful world if we could walk wherever we wanted at whatever time we wanted without fear of being followed or accosted, but this is the reality. I'm very sorry this happened to that young lady, and none of us should ever be subjected to such terror, ever, but caution should be paramount at all times.
Hi all,
I'm the woman who was attacked and I just wanted to say THANK YOU to the people who helped me that night. I hoped if I screamed loud enough, someone would come and several people did. I am eternally grateful.
And, just for the record, it was 10:30, not 11:30, which I'm not sure makes any difference anyway, and we should all be cautious no matter what time it is. I always take the Union Street bridge after dark if I need to walk that way, but for some reason changed my pattern that night.
(Also, I am in my mid-30's, not 20's, but I appreciate that!)
Again, thank you so much to all the good samaritans on the block. I'm so glad to know, even in this big city, we are all looking out for eachother.
i used to live along first place a couple of doors down from court. there is heavy vehicle and foot traffic in that area but in spite of this, i always took a cab home when it was late (10pm onwards) and would ask the cabbie to wait until i've let myself inside the building. there was a mugging that took place in clinton and second in broad daylight a few years ago. i myself have had a near-miss experience one sunny afternoon along first place when i was carrying a laptop case. these incidents, among many others, have instilled in me a cautious attitude.
as a native of crime infested manila, i grew up with all sorts of crime around me. it is up to us to take precautions.
makes me even angrier that the mta won't bring back the union street bus to provide a safe and affordable after-dark solution for traveling between Carroll Gardens and Park Slope/Prospect Heights.
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