Police have arrested a suspected sought for a rape of a 35-year-old woman of whom he had asked for directions in the South Bronx earlier this month.

 

Police said that on Monday, Aug. 5, at around 1.06 a.m., the victim, a 35-year-old woman, was walking in the vicinity of Bergen Avenue and East 149th Street in Mott Haven when she was approached by an unknown male individual asking her for directions. They said the victim was then forcibly raped and the suspect fled the location, on foot, eastbound on East 149th Street towards Brook Avenue. They said the victim was transported to NYC Health and Hospitals/Lincoln in stable condition, and the Bronx Special Victims Squad is investigating.

 

They said the suspect is described as male, has a dark complexion, and is around 6 feet tall. They said he was last seen wearing a black shirt with a multicolored design on the front, black pants, black shoes, and was carrying a dark-colored backpack.

 

Police had released the attached photo of the suspect. On Aug. 10, police announced that pursuant to an ongoing investigation, 38-year-old Papa Diop of East 221st Street in Williamsbridge was arrested and charged on Aug. 10, at 11.25 a.m. in the 41st Precicnt which covers Hunts Point and Longwood.

 

He was charged with rape in the first degree. He is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

Anyone with information regarding 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 at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

 

All calls are strictly confidential.