NYPD Special Victims hunting for rapist of 12-year-old

The NYPD Special Victims Division is pleading for new leads in the hunt for a teenager who raped a 12-year-old girl in 2015.

The girl, who was in pigtails and a school uniform and carrying a princess lunch box, had just stepped off a Bronx bus after tutoring about 6pm on February 24, 2015.

The teen grabbed her by the arm and threatened her.

‘If you scream, I’m gonna kill you,’ he said, according to police. 

The stranger dragged her roughly, turning down an alley where he brutally attacked her.

Despite DNA evidence and surveillance footage of the attack, no arrests have been made.

As the anniversary nears, the Special Victims Division detective on the case is pleading for anyone with information to send a tip through the CrimeStoppers website or to call the hotline.

The NYPD Special Victims Division is pleading for new leads in the hunt for a teenager who raped a 12-year-old girl in February 2015 in The Bronx, New York

The girl was in pigtails and a school uniform carrying a princess lunch box when she stepped off a Bronx bus after tutoring when the teen grabbed her arm on February 24, 2015

The girl was in pigtails and a school uniform carrying a princess lunch box when she stepped off a Bronx bus after tutoring when the teen grabbed her arm on February 24, 2015

At first, he tried to lead her into an apartment building, but the doors were locked so he walked her into an alley at 2064 Daley Avenue, the first building off 179th Street

At first, he tried to lead her into an apartment building, but the doors were locked so he walked her into an alley at 2064 Daley Avenue, the first building off 179th Street

‘She was just a baby,’ said Detective Diane Crowley. ‘This is the worst of the worst.’

Surveillance footage shows a young man in tan cargo pants, wearing a blue jacket with a hood and a hat.

His face is blurry, but it’s not impossible to recognize. 

He is described as being in his early to mid-teens and is about 5’2″ tall.

Crowley thinks that part of the problem, is that the suspect was also young, probably 14 to 16 years old.

She thinks people are afraid of being wrong and turning in an innocent kid.

‘Obviously with the forensic evidence, there’s no way the wrong kid will go to jail for this,’ she said. 

‘I just think after three years, you told somebody, you told part of it to somebody. A mom saw it. Someone knows something.’

There’s a reward of more than $22,000 for any tips leading to an arrest.

Crowley is haunted by the case. 

She said that when she arrived to the hospital after police were called, the little girl was in a bed and still in her uniform, but it was ripped and dirty and her glasses were askew.

She had a hard time explaining the attack to law enforcement.

‘She had to describe things that happened to her that she didn’t even have the vocabulary for,’ Crowley said. 

‘She’d never seen a male body before.’

The 12-year-old was on the BX 19 bus to East Tremont, where she transferred to another bus to go home. 

She said the suspect grabbed her when she got off. At first, he tried to lead her into an apartment building, but the doors were locked. He then walked her into an alley at 2064 Daley Avenue, the first building off 179th Street.

After the attack, she ran and called her mother and they went to the hospital, which collected forensic evidence.

It took police days to find the crime location because the little girl didn’t know where she was.

Despite DNA evidence and surveillance footage of the attack, no arrests have been made. There's a reward of more than $22,000 for any tips leading to an arrest

Despite DNA evidence and surveillance footage of the attack, no arrests have been made. There’s a reward of more than $22,000 for any tips leading to an arrest

It took police days to find the crime location because the little girl didn't know where she was

It took police days to find the crime location because the little girl didn’t know where she was

Surveillance footage shows a young man in tan cargo pants, wearing a blue jacket with a hood and a hat. His face is blurry, but it's not impossible to recognize. He is described a being in his early to mid-teens and is approximately 5'2" tall

Surveillance footage shows a young man in tan cargo pants, wearing a blue jacket with a hood and a hat. His face is blurry, but it’s not impossible to recognize. He is described a being in his early to mid-teens and is approximately 5’2″ tall

The 12-year-old was on the BX 19 bus to East Tremont, where she transferred to another bus to go home. She said the suspect grabbed her when she got off at this corner (above)

The 12-year-old was on the BX 19 bus to East Tremont, where she transferred to another bus to go home. She said the suspect grabbed her when she got off at this corner (above)

They followed up on hundreds of leads, talked to any gang members in the possibility it was some sort of initiation and combed through bus footage. 

The victim didn’t remember seeing him at school but it looked like he might have also have been wearing a uniform.

‘I think most sex crimes are about opportunity. She happened to be an easy target,’ Crowley said. 

‘But when you find a 12-year-old and you say: “I’m going to kill you”…it’s a real cowardly attack.’

Crowley said the girl has had ups and downs since the attack.

She’s anxious and can’t sleep and struggles in school but is growing into a smart young woman and is doing her best.

‘But, her innocence was taken. The twinkle in her eye dimmed out,’ Crowley said.

 ‘I would love nothing more than to bring her and her family justice.’



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