Detectives in Brooklyn are looking for the deviant who posed as an ICE agent and attempted to rape a woman after she visited a doctor on Tuesday morning, sources familiar with the case said.
According to police sources, the disturbing incident unfolded at around 10:50 a.m. on Feb. 11 inside a building near Montague and Henry Streets in Brooklyn Heights.
Sources familiar with the case said the victim, a 51-year-old woman, had just visited a doctor at a nearby City MD office and was standing in the lobby of the building waiting for a taxi when the suspect approached, claimed to be an ICE agent and asked to see her identification. The victim, however, did not see the suspect present a badge or a weapon.
Cops said the fiend grabbed her and violently forced her into the basement stairwell. Once out of view, he then attacked her by punching her and attempting to sexually assault her, removing her chain, cell phone, and purse during the attack.
Police reported that he eventually abandoned the sexual assault attempt and fled on Montague Street towards Henry Street with the victim’s cell phone.
The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for lacerations to the face and scratches and bruising across her body.
The attack occurred during a time in which New York’s immigrant community is on edge with the Trump administration cracking down hard on undocumented residents, leading to a surge in ICE raids nationwide since he retook office on Jan. 20. Late last month, ICE agents swept through the Bronx and Manhattan, apprehending up to 100 people who allegedly had criminal records and are undocumented.
The raid came with the cooperation of Mayor Eric Adams, who insists he will cooperate with ICE to deport undocumented criminals and keep New Yorkers safe. Immigrant advocates, however, fear the deportation effort will eventually spread to schools, shelters and hospitals and lead to the removal of undocumented New Yorkers without criminal records.
Police obtained surveillance footage of the suspect in the Feb. 12 attempted rape walking through the snow-covered streets in a blue jacket. He was last seen wearing black pants, white shoes, and a black hood.
Anyone with information regarding this attack can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Updated at 11:40 a.m. on Feb. 12.
