Photo courtesy of Adi Talwar
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Monday, May 23, that a Bronx man has been charged with kidnapping a woman and raping her over the course of five days in an abandoned building in the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx.
Clark said, “The defendant allegedly held a 28-year-old woman captive for days, raping and beating her with a tire iron. The victim managed to escape with the help of a passerby. The defendant has been indicted on multiple charges for terrorizing this woman.”
According to the prosecution’s investigation, on April 29, the defendant, Timothy Harnett, AKA Lawless, 44, who is homeless, allegedly offered the victim, a 28-year-old woman, money in exchange for sex. He took her to 2667 Briggs Avenue in Fordham Manor, where an abandoned three-story building damaged by a fire was located, and took her upstairs.
When the victim turned her back to the defendant, he allegedly hit her leg with a tire iron, causing her to fall to the floor. Harnett allegedly continued to beat her with the tire iron and punched her, leaving her with a fractured wrist and dislocated knee. The defendant allegedly took off the victims’ clothes, tied her feet with a cloth, and handcuffed her wrists.
Between April 29 and May 2, according to the prosecution, Harnett allegedly held the victim captive and raped her multiple times a day. He also threatened to kill her if she tried to escape. On May 2, the defendant left the building to go to a nearby laundromat. While he was gone, the victim used the tire iron to break a window and used glass to cut the restraints on her feet. She waved down to a passerby who called 911, and flagged down a NYPD patrol car. She was subsequently taken to the hospital.
Officials from the Bronx District Attorney’s office said, it is believed the defendant may have had other victims. They encourage anyone who may have been victimized, or anyone who may have information about a victim of the defendant to please call the Bronx District Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit at (718) 838-6535.
If you are a victim of human trafficking, the Bronx District Attorney’s office encourages you to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888, or the Bronx D.A.’s Crime Victims Assistance Unit on (718) 590-2115. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Clark said Harnett, was arraigned on three counts of first-degree kidnapping, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape, third-degree rape, four counts of first-degree criminal sexual act, four counts of third-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree sexual abuse, attempted sex trafficking, attempted sexual assault in the first degree, and second-degree assault before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Raymond Bruce. Harnett was remanded in custody and is due back in court on August 9.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Johnathan Vega of the human trafficking unit, and Assistant District Attorney Siobhan McHale of the child abuse/sex crimes bureau, under the supervision of Stephen Knoepfler, chief of the human trafficking unit, and, under the overall supervision of Adrienne Giunta, deputy chief of the special victims division, and Joseph Muroff, chief of the special victims division.
Clark thanked Jessica Walmsley, case discovery analyst in the human trafficking unit, video unit supervisor, Joao D’Alessandro, and the Bronx District Attorney’s video unit.
She also thanked Detective Jordan Gambino of the NYPD Bronx special victims squad, Detective James Barrenger of the NYPD DNA cold case squad, and Detective Michael Summa of the NYPD Bronx warrants squad for their work on the investigation.
A person arrested and charged with a crime is innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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